Captain's Cradle
by abetha0808
Summary: Sequel to The Captain's Shield, babyfic for Captina! Tina and Steve have just gotten settled into life as a married couple; but what happens when life throws them a curveball? What about a curveball in the form of an unexpected pregnancy? Post-Avengers. Steve x OC.
1. Finding Out

**Hello everyone! By popular demand, I bring to you the sequel to The Captain's Shield! If you haven't read that yet, I highly suggest you do. Thanks and enjoy!**

"JARVIS, where is Mrs. Rogers?" Steve asked, gleefully haven gotten the hang of addressing the invisible Englishman.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"You've been married almost a year. Still not tired of that?"

"Nope. Never."

"She is in your bathroom, Captain," JARVIS replied crisply.

"Thank you," Steve responded sweetly.

"I would walk a little faster, sir. She hasn't been quite well lately, and appears to be getting sick currently."

Steve's eyebrows pushed together in worry, and he hurried into his room. Tina was sitting on the bathroom floor, leaning against the wall, looking slightly pale. She was still wearing the black tank top and silky, American-flag pajama shorts Steve loved.

"Hey," she croaked. "How did the mission go?"

Steve knelt down next to her.

"Are you okay? JARVIS-"

Tina waved his concern away.

"I'm fine, Steve. Know how I've been doing all that spray-paint art? I think the fumes were making me sick, but I'm okay now."

Steve nodded.

"I'm done the project though," Tina brightened and smiled up at him.

"Good. No more spray paint?"

"No more. Nice outfit," she commented, wiggling her eyebrows. "You know how I like a man in uniform."

Steve rolled his eyes and reached down to help her up. Tina stretched her arms.

"You never answered me," she reminded him as she began brushing her teeth.

"It went really well, actually. We didn't even have to fire a shot. We showed up and they all just surrendered."

Tina laughed around her toothbrush. She rinsed her mouth and brushed her hair out.

"Maybe all the other bad guys will start following their example," she hoped aloud.

The captain rolled his eyes.

"That'll be the day."

…

Although Tony mourned the loss of Steve's title as Captain Virginity, he was the only one with a shred of disappointment in them. The entire team could palpably feel the joy emanating from the newlyweds. Contrary to Fury's concerns, Tina and the happiness she brought Steve made him even more focused and determined than usual. The night terrors he suffered from began to be less and less frequent, until they eventually stopped altogether. Tina made sure to flash her ring in her awful cousin Macy's face as often as she got the chance to, enjoying the look of frustration in her eyes. Tina had just finished her last final project for school. After graduation, she'd be an artist, officially.

"Check," Tony shouted triumphantly, moving a piece on the chessboard.

Bruce folded his hands and stared at the hand-carved wood-and-ivory board, a relic from Asgard, and Thor's present to him for his birthday. Natasha and Clint were attempting to create an edible meal (with much guidance from Steve) while Thor and Pepper played Just Dance, much to Tina's enjoyment, as she sketched them. Bruce suddenly grinned ear to ear and moved another piece.

"Checkmate!" he said gleefully.

"Awh," Tony whined, "This is no fun."

Bruce chuckled good-naturedly.

"You're getting much better," he reassured.

A shout sounded from the kitchen.

"CLINT YOU CANNOT USE THOSE FOR TARGET PRACTICE!"  
Tina giggled but Pepper stiffened.

"That better not have been my cabinets," she growled.

"It wasn't gonna _hurt_ anyone, Cap. I _never_ miss," Clint moaned, sounding for all the world like a little kid, wheedling to get out of a punishment.

"I don't care!" Steve said angrily, "Never again! Or…"

"Or what? You'll kick me off of cooking duty?" he asked hopefully.

"I…I don't know yet. But you won't like it!" the soldier threatened lamely.

Natasha could be heard chuckling softly in the background.

"It's dinner time," she called into the living room.

"NO!" Thor objected, "I AM WINNING!"

He gyrated his hips frantically, trying to hold onto his lead. Pepper tried her best to summon her inner Wham! and danced like crazy.

"WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO!" Thor rumbled.

"Don't leave me hangin' on like a yo-yo!" Pepper sang in a voice at least two full octaves higher than the thunder god's.

"Hey, you ungrateful jerks, I made dinner!" Clint skillfully threw a spoon end over end so it hit the off button on the game.

"_You_ made dinner," Steve scoffed, "I spoon-fed you instructions on how to make plain chicken, and you still almost blew it."

Sighing, the team made its way into the kitchen to eat. Steve passed out plates as he cut the chicken.

"Nat…Clint, you like the dark meat right? Okay," he handed them around the table, "Tony…Pepper, here's your leg…Bruce…Thor, your chicken is over there, I figured you'd rather cut it yourself. Tina…where's Tina?"

The group looked around, finding their number one short. Steve sighed and set down the platter, walking into the other room to find her.

"Stop drawing, it's dinner time!" Tony called through a mouthful.

Tina was curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly. A single curl fluttered in front of her mouth as she breathed, and Steve couldn't help but smile. He gently shook her shoulder.

"Tina? Honey, it's dinner time."

Tina's eyes flickered open and she sat up.

"Wha-? Now?"

Steve chuckled.

"Yeah."

"Wow…I just got so tired all of the sudden."

Tina took Steve's outstretched hand and followed him into the kitchen. She took her customary seat next to him, and smiled as Clint and Natasha debated the virtues of mashed potatoes.

"They're a waste of time," Natasha said haughtily.

"What?! They're delicious! With gravy…butter… garlic…ANYTHING!" he protested.

Bruce passed Tina the plate of garlicky green beans. She abruptly shoved her chair back from the table, recoiling from the smell.

"You okay, small stuff?" Tony asked in concern.

She stood and walked briskly out of the room.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I just need to go to the bathroom," she muttered.

The Avengers raised their eyebrows as she left. Bruce sighed.

"Hey, what's new, I'm right and nobody listened to me. Tina's got that awful flu that everyone in New York seems to have."

Steve bit his lip and excused himself to look for her.

"You okay?" he asked, finding her reading a book in their bed.

She set the novel down and smiled.

"I'm all good. I just felt kind of icky all of the sudden. I think I'm just going to sleep early. Go back to dinner."

Steve kissed her forehead.

"Sure?"

Tina nodded and playfully shoved his arm.

"Get outta here, soldier."

…

Steve slowly and deliberately turned on the computer. The glow lit the dark room, whose only other source of light at the moment was the light of the city shining through the windows.

"JARVIS, can you help me?"

"Certainly, sir. What is it you require?" the AI responded in the special tone he reserved for Steve.

"I…Maybe I'm being paranoid…but, if it is that flu, Tina needs to get some treatment…"

"Would you like me to research her symptoms, Captain?"

"Yes, please."

JARVIS lifted the holographic screens and began displaying thousands of possible ailments, grouped by likelihood.

"Whoah," Steve murmured, feeling totally overwhelmed.

"Would you care for some advice, sir?"

Steve nodded frantically with relief.

"Oh, please."

JARVIS pulled up one condition on the main screen, minimizing the rest. Steve stared at the screen, face blank.

"Is that…is it even-?"

"Please, Captain. Don't make me explain. It is quite possible."

"But…but…"

"Would you like me to check?"

"How on earth would you check something like that?" Steve ran his fingers through his hair, pulling on it.

JARVIS was tempted to sigh, but it repressed the urge.

"I run _every_ aspect of the house. If you cut yourself and throw away the bandage, I test the blood, just in case. I know everything, not to sound overly omniscient."

The AI took his stunned expression for an affirmative.

"Just a moment captain."

Steve hardly dared to breathe. His held his entire body perfectly still and tried to calm his mind, but couldn't stop a tiny bubble of hope from forming in his chest. _What if? Could Tina really be pregnant? _Unbidden images came to his mind. A little girl with blue eyes like his. A baby boy with curly hair and emerald eyes. Steve shut his eyes and sucked in a breath. It was at that moment when he realized how very much he _wanted_ it to be true. _I want this_.

"Test results positive," JARVIS chimed after what felt like forever.

The Captain sat back in the chair, letting out a whoosh of breath. A grin came to his face and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Congratulations, Captain."

Steve laughed again and turned the computer off.

"Thanks, JARVIS."

He stood and raced a few steps toward the bedroom, then stopped dead. _How am I supposed to tell her? What if she doesn't want a baby? _Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. _This is so reversed. This is so messed up. _He heard a door open and soft footfalls into the hall.

"Steve?"

Tina tiptoed into the room, eyes bleary with sleep.

"What are you doing up? Did you have a nightmare again?"

Steve shook his head, unable to stop staring at her. _She has no idea…she's pregnant…with my baby._

"Steve?" she asked concernedly, taking hold of his hand in worry.

"I'm okay. I just…um…"

Tina led him back into their room and sat beside him on the bed.

"What is it?"

Steve took her hands in his and met her eyes.

"I have something to tell you."

* * *

**Neat little twist on that, huh? So! Tell me what you think, and feel free to leave suggestions of things you'd like to see!**

**Review :)**


	2. Tell Mom

"I'm _what_!?"

Tina stared at Steve in utter shock. Steve bit his lip nervously, earlier worries surfacing once more. _Oh god, oh god. What if she doesn't even want the baby? What do I do? _

"J-JARVIS. He said-when I-"

"Okay, start over," Tina demanded weakly, beginning to feel a bit faint. "You were researching my symptoms because you thought I had the flu…"

"And JARVIS suggested that you weren't sick. So it asked me if I wanted to test if you were pregnant…"

"And how on Earth…oh, wait. He runs everything. Okay," Tina stood and started pacing. "And the test was positive?"

Steve nodded, too tense to reply. His eyes followed her back and forth. Suddenly she stopped. Tina's eyes became huge and she dove for the planner on the small art table. She frantically flipped pages, so fast, Steve thought they'd rip. Her finger went down the page, searching.

"Oh my god," she said softly. "I'm almost four weeks late. J was right."

Tina's hand went involuntarily to her stomach, touching it gently. She looked up at Steve, expecting a big smile. She was wrong. Steve sat tensely on the edge of the bed, looking at her with a worried expression. She didn't know what to think. _Is he not ready for this? Does he even want a family? I thought for sure that he would._ Tina's fingers pressed on her stomach, although she knew she wouldn't be able to feel the baby for some time. She realized that she already loved this child. Steve's child. _What if he doesn't? _She looked down, afraid to meet his eyes again.

"Tina?"

She jumped as Steve's hand touched her shoulder. She'd be so consumed in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard him walking over.

"Are you okay?"

Tina's mind began to race again, thinking of tee-ball games and ballet recitals. Muddy footprints on the floor. Jumping in leaf piles. Steve rocking a little blonde-haired baby in his arms. Teaching a toddler, her toddler, how to finger-paint. Chubby fingers on a canvas. Tiny blonde curls and sky-blue eyes. Tina could almost see a tiny version of Steve in her lap. Calling her 'mommy'.

An involuntary tear dripped from her eye at the thought. Steve caught it and pulled Tina's chin up to face him.

"Tina? It's okay, honey," he said softly, enveloping her in his strong arms. "We don't-if you don't want…it's okay."

"What?" Tina shook her head violently, "No!"

She pulled back from his embrace.

"If you don't want this baby, I do. It's my baby. I'll-I'll do it myself, I'll-"

"Wait, no!" Steve said, "No, I do want this."

He began to laugh and cupped Tina's face in his hands.

"I've always wanted this. A family. For us," his voice was soft, "I was scared _you_ didn't want the baby."

Tina gave a watery chuckle.

"Ohhh. Wow. Bit of a miscommunication there, huh?" she said.

Steve nodded. Then without warning, he began to perform an insane, slightly epileptic-looking, tribal wildman dance across their room.

"YAY!" he shouted.

Tina almost wet herself she laughed so hard. Steve picked her up and spun her.

"Steve, we're gonna have a baby!" she giggled.

He set her on the bed and dropped to his knees, touching her stomach with his hand. His grin took over his face, exactly matched by his wife's.

"I am stupidly, deliriously happy right now," he said, still laughing.

She smiled and climbed into bed.

"Me, too."

Steve crawled up next to her, keeping his hand in place.

"So I guess you haven't felt the baby move yet?"

Tina laughed.

"Steve, I'm not going to feel anything for another few months."

He sighed with disappointment.

"Awwww. How big is the baby now?"

Tina picked a fuzz the size of a pencil point off of the comforter and dropped it in Steve's palm. He cupped it carefully, staring at her in surprise.

"Very, very little."

Steve's eyes were still wide with shock, and a bit of fear. Tina took his hands in hers and smiled.

"It's okay," she reassured him, "I'm keeping him safe."

She patted her stomach. Steve's eyebrow cocked up.

"You just said him."

Tina blushed and stared at the ceiling.

"I am keeping him or her safe."

"You said him," he teased.

She refused to meet his eyes, blush still heating her cheeks.

"You think it's a boy?" Steve asked softly.

Tina shrugged.

"It doesn't matter to me," she said, "I'd be equally happy no matter what."

"Me, too! There are fun girl things and fun boy things. Either way, it's our baby, and I'll be happy. But I won't rule out mother's instinct as a potential gauge for telling us a bit early," Steve needled.

Tina growled and threw her arms up.

"Fine! Fine, I said him. I think it might be a boy."

Steve laughed triumphantly.

"That doesn't mean anything, you know!" she said, poking him in the arm, "The baby is too small to even _have _a gender yet."

"Huh?" Steve stopped laughing to look at her in utter confusion.

"It's just a ball of cells at this point," she added.

Steve's baffled look intensified. A lightbulb went off in the back of Tina's head.

"What did they teach you about the birds and the bees, Mister Forties?"

The Captain blushed a little.

"Not very much. Just boy stuff," he mumbled.

"So you don't know anything about pregnancy at all."

Steve fidgeted.

"No. Not really…"

Tina sighed.

"Oh man. I am going to have a job educating you." She sat up suddenly. "And you better be prepared to learn because I am _not_ doing this all by myself!"

Steve chuckled and pulled her back to snuggling with him.

"I'm a very good student, I promise. We'll learn together."

Tina fell asleep with their hands intertwined over the spot that their baby was growing.

* * *

**Sorry for the short chappie! Next one will be longer...**

**What will the Avengers think? How will they react?**

**Review, dear people!**


	3. Breakfast Announcement

Steve was trying very hard not to laugh at his wife. Firstly, he'd found that laughing while brushing his teeth was not a good idea, as it spewed toothpaste-spit all over the mirror, and secondly, he thought it might be a bit rude. Tina stood in front of her bathroom mirror, holding her tank top up and examining her flat stomach. He gave her a pointed look, hoping that she'd answer his unasked question. She caught his stare.

"Give this a good look," she commanded, pointing at her abdomen, "Because your baby is going to screw up all my Natasha-style training. You are not going to see this looking this nice for another year. Or ever. No, Nat will kick me back into shape. But, still. It'll be a while."

Steve rolled his eyes and rinsed his mouth out.

"Goodbye, little abs. I will miss you," Tina lamented.

"You're ridiculous," he laughed.

Tina sighed and dropped her shirt, starting to violently yank a brush through her hair.

"So," she began, "When do we tell everyone?"

She pulled hard on a particularly stubborn tangle. Steve's expression turned contemplative as he took the brush out of her hands, gently working through the knots.

"I don't know…" he responded slowly, softly running the brush through her golden hair. "I have no experience with this," he chuckled, selecting another curl to smooth out.

Tina laughed with him.

"Because I do?"

Steve smiled and set the brush down, playing with the now-silky curls with his fingers.

"We should tell them today," Tina decided.

"Good plan. JARVIS would snitch eventually," the soldier agreed.

"I would not have!" the AI responded heatedly, "What have I ever done to deserve such mistrust?"

"Nothing, J. But Tony can overwrite your protocols at any minute and find out anything you know," Steve explained.

"Or he could check the internet history," Tina added.

JARVIS huffed and Tina giggled, leading Steve out of the bathroom.

"Might as well do it now," she said. "What are you gonna say?"

Steve stopped dead.

"Me?! Oh, no, no, no. YOU are carrying a baby, YOU tell them."

"What? What happened to 'we're in this together'?" Tina crossed her arms and glared.

"What happened was I told you the news. You gotta tell them," Steve defended himself, "Fair's fair."

Tina's glare intensified, but Steve didn't look ruffled.

"Not doing it," he said stubbornly.

"If I do this, you have to tell my family," she bargained.

"We can do rock, paper, scissors for it?" he suggested.

Tina scowled.

"You always win that! And I'm convinced it has something to do with your super-reflexes."

Steve grinned guiltily, and she growled and stomped toward the open door. Steve immediately laughed in triumph and grabbed her hand.

…

"Gently, Thor. Very gently," Bruce cautioned, anxiously watching the god prepare to flip a pancake.

"I know!" Thor said impatiently.

He jerked his wrist and the pancake flipped beautifully, albeit four feet high, just missing the ceiling before it landed squarely on the pan again.

"Very good," the scientist applauded, silently thanking his lucky stars that no goo ended up on himself or the kitchen.

"Good morning everyone," Steve greeted his team cheerfully before taking his customary seat across from Tony. Tina hopped up on her favorite barstool next to Natasha.

"Hey Steve," Clint smiled and waved.

"You okay, blondie?" Tony asked, "You were acting funky yesterday."

Tina smiled, trying unsuccessfully not to blush.

"I feel great now, so I guess that passed."

Natasha raised her eyebrows, sensing her evasion.

"I am glad you are well, Tina," Thor said, "Would you like some pancakes? I made them!" He grinned excitedly, looking for all the world like a kindergartener presenting the teacher with a drawing.

"I'd love some. I'm pretty hungry from skipping dinner."

Steve set aside his newspaper so Thor could place an enormous stack of pancakes on his plate. Tina got Tony another cup of coffee and poured syrup on his pancakes.

"Very good job Thor," Steve praised him.

The god smiled widely and clapped Bruce on the shoulder hard enough that his glasses slipped down an inch on his nose.

"I learned from the very best. Thank you for teaching me."

Bruce smiled and started clearing plates, unable to help noticing that Tina was steadily growing more fidgety. Part of him wanted to ask if she was alright, but knowing her, that wouldn't get him anywhere.

Tina stared at the surface of the table, hoping it would tell her how best to break her news. She bit the inside of her lip, anxiety getting the best of her.

"Um, guys?"

Her voice sounded pathetic. Like a kid confessing that they stole a cookie from the jar.

"I-um. Well, actually, WE," she took Steve's hand, partly for emphasis and partly to keep her hands from visibly shaking. "We're, well, um. We're going to have a baby. I'm kind of, uh, pregnant."

For a moment, there was silence, then there were cheers.

"Congrats!" Tony said.

Natasha laughed and grabbed Tina's hand.

"That's awesome! I'm so excited for you two!"

Pepper did a freaky little happy dance.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! This is so exciting!" she crowed. "How long have you known? Aww, you're gonna have a little baby! A tiny Tina! Or a mini Steve! OH MY GOD!" she gushed.

Clint cursed under his breath and counted out twenty dollars, which he passed to Natasha. He mock-punched Steve in the shoulder.

"That's awesome dude," he grinned.

Tina eyed the transaction. Natasha winked.

"Call it a hunch," she whispered, "You were acting weird."

Bruce mussed Tina's hair.

"Okay, I was wrong about the flu thing. This is much better."

Thor pounded Steve on the back. If Steve were a normal human, he probably would have been hospitalized for broken ribs, but thankfully, it only caused him to grimace a little.

"Well done, Captain!"

Steve blushed lightly, grinning ear to ear.

"We just found out last night," he belatedly answered Pepper.

"Steve actually figured it out before I did," Tina added, "due to his wicked paranoia and tendency to over-worry about everything."

Steve rolled his eyes.

"You fell asleep randomly, threw up, and then couldn't eat dinner. I had a reason to be worried. Plus, I never thought you might be expecting. JARVIS is responsible for that idea," he explained.

Tony laughed.

"Good job, J," he praised his creation.

"Thank you, sir," it responded crisply. "Call it insight, if you will."

…

"That didn't go badly at all," Tina sighed with relief.

Natasha laughed as she leaned on the railing while her friend doodled.

"What, you thought we'd all freak out?"

"No," Tina said softly, "Just. I don't know. I was nervous to tell you."

"Don't be silly!" Pepper admonished, "You can tell us anything. Us girls need to stick together in this houseful of testosterone!"

"Maybe there'll be one more girl to help soon," Natasha teased.

Tina smiled and shook her head but kept drawing.

"Are you going to find out whether it's a boy or a girl?" Pepper asked.

"Mm. I don't know. I kind of want it to be a surprise, but that might be a nightmare for planning a nursery, huh?"

"Not necessarily," Pepper said, "You could just make the nursery mostly unisex and add in gender-specific colors later if you want."

"Not yellow," Natasha begged, "It is the most awful color. I don't know why people always make nurseries yellow. Do green or something."

"I like green," Tina mused, "That could work. Green and blue. Or green and pink?"

Pepper nodded, and Tina could see the wheels turning in her head.

"I am going to need to do some serious planning," the CEO of Stark Industries eventually announced.

"You're welcome," Tina said, "I know how you love to plan. Since Steve and my wedding is over, you're all out of things to plan for."

Pepper nodded, ignoring the sarcasm.

"That was so fun to arrange…But now I have doctors appointments to chart, a nursery to plan, clothes for you to buy, baby stuff to get…oh you and I are going to spend a LOT of time together!"

Tina set down her pencil for a moment.

"Can I ask you two something?"

Both women nodded and the assassin sat beside her.

"It's about the doctor…is it weird to ask Bruce to do it? Do you think he would want to?"

"Absolutely," Natasha answered immediately, "He was _dying_ when you got hurt and he wasn't allowed to help. He loved being able to care for people when they needed help, I think he misses it."

"It wouldn't be awkward?" Tina wondered.

"Tina, he loves you like a daughter. He'd love to be able to experience all of this with you and Steve," Pepper responded.

Tina smiled.

"I'll talk to Steve about it then."

The Black Widow glanced at the sketch on Tina's notebook.

It was Steve from the back. Natasha was sure it was him, although his face was hidden from view. In his arms was a blanket-covered bundle, with a small, chubby hand reaching up.

…

"Nervous?" Clint asked as he watched Steve bench-pressing an insane amount of weight.

Steve shrugged as much as he could while holding the bar.

"You don't need to be tough for us, Steve," Tony said.

The soldier sighed and set the weight down, sitting up.

"Okay. Yeah. I'm kinda nervous…I know nothing, and I mean _nothing_ about pregnancy or babies, I-I wanna be able to help Tina, but I'm worried I'll just be in the way and that I won't support her right, and maybe I won't be a good dad-"

Thor laughed out loud as he did pull ups, cutting Steve off.

"That is not something that should be bothering you, Steve," he chuckled, "You will be an excellent father. All your other woes can be quickly remedied with a few lessons."

Tony nodded his agreement from his seat next to Bruce.

"Yeah. Get a few books, maybe take a class or two. Bam, you're ready."

Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Although that is a gross oversimplification, he's right. I can teach you and Tina pretty much anything you need to know. I spent a lot of time delivering babies in Calcutta."

Steve spun around in his chair.

"I completely forgot about that," he smiled, "You can help me not be an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot," Bruce chastised him, "You come from a time where men were rather uninvolved with infants, and very uninvolved with pregnancy. But I can answer questions you have, if you want me to."

"Is there any special foods Tina has to eat? When can I feel the baby move? Can the baby hear when I talk? How do you know if it's a boy or a girl? Should she not move around a lot? What the hell do I do when it's time for her to deliver?" the soldier rattled off a list of questions like a machine gun.

"Whoah, whoah, okay," Bruce threw his hands up to stop his friend. "Maybe we can do nightly lessons or something. Have some couple-and-Bruce time."

Steve nodded and slumped.

"Don't get me wrong…I'm really happy, I've always wanted a family of my own, but…I'm kind of scared, too."

Clint patted his shoulder.

"We're all here to help you guys through it. You can hide with us when she gets hormonal, and we'll all pitch in to babysit!" he joked.

Half a smile played on Steve's lips.

"So, do you want it to be a boy or a girl?" Tony wondered.

The Captain shrugged.

"I'd be happy with either."

"Really?" the billionaire asked interestedly, "I thought for sure you'd want a son to carry on the family name…isn't that an old-timey thing?"

Thor rolled his eyes.

"Just because it is old-fashioned doesn't mean Steve agrees," he pointed out, "You don't agree with everything new."

Steve laughed.

"True…but," he lowered his voice a little, "Tina thinks it's a boy," he confided.

"Really?" Bruce asked, "Already? Does she _want_ a boy?"

"I don't think she wants either gender, but she's convinced. And I'm not fool enough to argue with mother's instinct."

"Twenty bucks says it's a girl," Clint said cockily.

"No way. It's a Cap junior," Tony scoffed.

"It will be a lady," Thor declared.

"Nope. I agree with Steve," Bruce decided, "Mother's instinct."

The money went into a jar, and Clint hoped he wasn't about to lose any more money over this kid than he already had.

* * *

**Well, since this took FOREVER to write, I made it extra long...hope that compensates haha!**

**So do you think Tina's instincts are on? Or is she in for a surprise?**

**Review all y'all! **


	4. First Scan

Tina let her head rest on the lip of the toilet; the cool ceramic felt good on her forehead. She waited for her stomach to stop churning, then sat up a little. Steve's hands moved from where they held her hair back, to her shoulders, gently massaging.

"I'm sorry honey," he murmured. "I wish there was something I could do."

Tina leaned back against him.

"This sucks," she moaned.

Steve kissed the top of her head.

"I know."

Without disturbing the position she was in, he reached up to the counter and grabbed the glass of water.

"It'll make you feel better," he offered.

She meekly accepted the glass, knowing he was right.

"I can make it six more weeks," she said. "Bruce said I'd stop feeling queasy at fourteen weeks. I can do that."

"Yes you can. Six more weeks of applesauce. You've got this."

Tina smiled and took a sip. _The whole morning sickness/ food-grossing-me-out thing is awful, but I couldn't ask for a better cheerleader. _Steve ran his fingers through her hair until she finished the water.

"Okay. All clear, Captain."

Steve smirked a little and helped her up. He stretched his arms.

"So, it's seven am, and we're both awake…what do you wanna do?" he asked.

Tina shrugged.

"Let's see who else is up," she decided.

Natasha and Clint were standing by the window talking quietly in their special way. Most would interpret the looks on their faces as serious or intense, but Steve and Tina knew better. The assassins knew each other so well that they didn't need sloppy kisses or bouquets of roses to say 'I love you' with. A fingertip on the back of the hand, a flick of the eyes, a tiny smirk was enough.

"Hey Cap. 'Sup Curls?" Clint greeted them.

Tina smiled in response and curled herself into a loveseat near the window. She pulled on her shirt a little, knowing that although no one but Steve would likely notice, the t-shirt was hugging her tummy just a bit too tight. Not to mention _other _things that were swollen...and sore. Steve sat beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer.

"Is Bruce awake yet?" Steve wondered.

"Yeah," a tired voice sounded from the hall, "Just got up."

The doctor yawned and shuffled in, sitting across from the Captain.

"Sleep well?" Tina asked.

"Mmhm. How about you? You look a little pale," Bruce noted.

The artist shrugged.

"I'm okay. Same old same old."

Steve tucked a curl behind her ear, looking at her with concern still etched into his features.

"I promise, when you hit fourteen weeks you won't get sick anymore. Only six weeks left to go," Bruce encouraged her.

"We'll distract you," Clint decided.

Natasha glared at him.

"Your idea of 'distract' falls under the category of stress. And that's not allowed," she informed him.

"Fine, fine," he sighed, "Fun-ruiner," he grumbled under his breath.

"Well," Tina said, "We're going to see my parents this weekend, so that should be fun. Steve and I still are arguing over who has to break the news."

Bruce chuckled.

"You could flip a coin," he suggested.

Steve shook his head.

"We tried that, best out of three, and the third time it landed on its side. Unbelievable right? And neither one of us wanted to re-do it because we're both chicken."

Tina scowled. Natasha tapped her chin.

"What if whoever doesn't break the news has to do the first ten diapers?"

"Fine. Done," Tina said. "I'll tell them."

"Jeez," Steve said exasperatedly, "That was easy."

Pepper's heels clicked down the hall as she dragged a sleepy Tony behind her.

"It's way early," he moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"I have a meeting and you wouldn't get up otherwise," she said briskly, striding into the room, Iron Man in tow. "Tina, by the way, you have an appointment with Dr. Banner. Don't forget!"

"I remembered," Bruce said proudly.

"When are we doing that?" Steve asked, "After breakfast, right?"

"Wait," Natasha said, "Can you find out the baby's gender today?"

"If we use Ramzi's method, then yes," Bruce answered.

"Ooh, what's that?" Tina asked, "I thought we had to wait until I was 18 weeks?"

"It's using the position of the placenta to determine the baby's gender," Bruce explained, "It's not one hundred percent accurate, unless you're really good at it. I happen to be, not to brag, so if you want I could probably tell you today."

Tina clapped.

"Okay, I know I said I wanted a surprise, but now...Steve, you win! Oh my gosh," she tugged on Steve's arm, "This is so exciting!"

"Well let's eat so we can go," he suggested.

No one appeared to have heard him.

"Can we go now? I can't wait!" Tina wriggled with excitement.

"Sure, why not?" Bruce laughed, "To the office!"

"Yay!" Tina squealed, tugging Steve behind her as she skipped behind Bruce.

"But…" Steve whimpered, "But breakfast…"

…

Tina lay on the table, holding onto Steve's hand.

"Just a minute," Bruce said, as he put on his glasses and began fiddling with the machine.

Tina made a conscious effort to take steady breaths. Excitement was making her blood pound in her ears. _I'm going to see my baby!_ Her smile was wide. _It's still tiny. You won't be able to see anything, really. Just a little blob. _She tried to remind herself of the facts. _Bruce said we won't see movement or even a heartbeat. Just a blob. But it's our baby! _She couldn't help the optimism despite her attempts to rationalize.

"Okay," Bruce said.

A picture showed up on the screen. Most of it was dark, like Bruce had said it would be. Empty space for now, it would be occupied when the baby grew larger. Down near the bottom was a little dot.

"Let me zoom in," the doctor said, pushing a few buttons. "The baby's still very small, about the size of a raspberry."

The dot showed up bigger on the screen. It _moved_.

Tina gasped.

"I thought-you said-" Steve stammered.

Bruce stared in shock at the image.

The speck was more than moving. It was undulating, changing. Like a lava lamp, constantly altering its shape and reforming.

"Bruce?" Tina's voice shook a little.

The scientist's head snapped around and he looked at Steve with a touch of fear in his features. The moment Steve met his eyes, Bruce instantly looked away, but the damage had been done.

"What did I do?" the soldier whispered in horror.

* * *

**Uh oh...what's going on here? Will the baby be okay? How about Tina?**

**Fast update because you are all such fabulous reviewers! I'll keep it up if you do :) ****Requests are definitely considered (if they don't seriously mess with the plotline I have planned).**

**What else...oh yeah! Review please! Thanks :)**


	5. Take a Guess

Steve continued to stare in utter disbelief at the screen. Bruce steepled his fingers as he thought, examining the image.

"Alright," the doctor finally broke the tense silence, "The way I see it, there are a few possibilities. One: the Ultrasound is malfunctioning. That's highly unlikely, because I ran checks on it three times yesterday…I'll check again though."

Tina choked back a sob.

"Two: something is throwing off interference. The uh, movements, are characteristic of energy waves, but I have no idea what could be causing interference to be so localized on the baby. It's possible, but…" he shrugged to express his doubt. "Three: there is something I can't even begin to imagine happening in there."

A tear slipped out of Tina's eye, and she anxiously brushed it away.

"How do we tell?" she whispered, voice cracking.

"I can take some cell samples. They might be able to give me a better idea of what's going on," Bruce said. "Steve, give us a minute? She'll be out of here the moment I get those samples."

Steve nodded minutely, and finally tore his gaze from the fluttery, wavering image of his child. He gave Tina's hand a brief squeeze without meeting her eyes and strode quickly from the room.

Bruce held up the microscope plates and the small blood sample.

"I'll tell you anything that I find out immediately, okay?" his brow wrinkled in concern for the nervous mother-to-be.

She nodded weakly.

"I'm gonna have Tony run the centrifuge, too. I can bounce some ideas off him…the more the merrier."

Bruce opened the door to call the billionaire over, expecting Steve to be waiting in the doorframe. The hallway was empty.

"Should we go look for him?" he asked worriedly.

"No," Tina responded softly. "Let him have a minute…I know where he'll be."

Bruce nodded and Tony rested his hand on Tina's shoulder for just a moment before he turned and left with Bruce into the lab.

…

Natasha perched on the arm of a chair as she watched Clint play darts with himself (from forty feet away). Although she saw Tina tiptoe through the room, she pretended not to notice. Tony had explained what happened with the scan. Natasha felt worry curl itself like a fist in her stomach. Worry for her best friend, for her teammate. Worry for a tiny little someone she didn't even know yet. Clint hit another bullseye on top of his previous dart.

"How many do you think I can stack like that?" he wondered aloud.

She shrugged and Clint sighed, taking aim again.

Thor and Jane sat together on the couch. She took notes and asked him detailed questions while he attempted to explain how the Tesseract had been used to repair the Bifrost. Thor's brow furrowed while he dug through his memory, trying to recall the tiniest of details, hoping it would please her. Jane wished for the hundredth time that she could do something to help Tina. _I know a ton about space, but babies? If only I could come up with a solution._

When Tina tried (unsuccessfully) to sneak by Natasha again, the spy had a harder time not asking questions. After the tiny blonde slipped out of the room, the assassin consulted the person she trusted most.

"Do you think it's going to be okay?" she murmured.

Clint threw the last dart without looking, then started rubbing the spot between Natasha's shoulder blades.

"God, I hope so."

…

Tina crept down to the basement gym where she was certain she'd find Steve beating the crap out of some poor punching bag. Rather than hearing his fists abuse something, however, there was a disconcerting quiet. She tiptoed further into the room, tempted to call his name, but also overcome with an urge to stay silent. Tina turned a corner and started hearing a muffled weeping. Steve was sitting on the floor, crumpled against a large ceiling support pole with his face in his hands. Judging by the dent in the wall and the punching bag split open on the floor, Steve was even more upset than Tina thought he'd be. She sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him, waiting for him to decide he was ready to talk. It took a minute or two, but Tina was all patience, compiling her own thoughts.

"I'm sorry," he eventually croaked. "I didn't think that the serum would hurt the baby…I didn't even consider it, actually. That's just carelessness on my part, and…I'm sorry, Tina."

"Well, I'm not sorry," Tina said stubbornly. "I did consider the possibility that the serum might do some weird things, but I thought it would just make the baby really big. Or really strong. Either could have caused problems, and I knew that."

Steve was silent, but she could feel the self-hatred emanating from him. Tina scooted closer to him, resting her hand on his shoulder, fingertips tracing the unscarred skin where his own shield had cut him once.

"Steve, it's-"

"No," he growled forcefully. "Do not say 'it's alright'. Don't."

"I wasn't going to," Tina said haughtily, "We don't know if it's alright yet. Maybe Bruce will come running down here and tell us that everything's a-ok. Maybe there's a problem. I don't know yet." Her voice softened at the end, revealing her own fear.

It was her vulnerability that made Steve's resolve to stay furious at himself crumble. He couldn't be concerned and livid at the same time. He sat up, pulling Tina into his lap. For a while, they just sat there, out of things to say. They were both terrified, but at least they were terrified together.

Steve put his ear to Tina's belly.

"Hey, champ. It's me. Dad."

Tina inhaled sharply. A little happy tear worked its way down her cheek as he spoke to their child in soft tones.

"I'm sorry if you're hurting," Steve continued, "But I promise, I didn't mean to for anything bad to happen to you. I'm really hoping you're just doing the Charleston in there and nothing bad is going on. Your mommy and I love you very, very much. And we really can't wait to meet you. So you've gotta make sure you stay healthy in there, okay? Promise me you'll be a fighter. I know that your mom's gonna fight for you. And I'm gonna fight for her. Fight for us, champ."

Tina let out a small sob. Steve straightened up and held her close.

"Isn't 'champ' kind of a boy nickname?" she choked out.

Steve smiled and wiped her tears with his thumb.

"Nah. It could be a champion ballerina we're talking about here."

Tina chuckled wetly, then abruptly stopped, overcome with fear for her baby. She buried her face in his chest and held onto him. Steve curled his body around hers, and they stayed there for quite some time, holding onto each other for strength

…

The centrifuge whirred in the laboratory while Bruce and Tony waited. Bruce tapped his fingers on the lab table while Tony paced.

"Since he can't hear us," the billionaire began, "It's got to be Steve's fault, right? What else could possibly be doing that to the scan?"

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"It can't be just him, though!" he growled, "SHIELD has done a million tests on him! I've looked through most of them myself! His cells don't…_transform_ that way. They heal, they enhance. If anything, the baby might be a little too big because of that. Not _rippling_!"

"Think about it, Bruce. We have one variable here: the super-soldier serum. We have no idea what's in it, or even how it works. We definitely don't know how it could affect a developing baby."

Bruce took a few calming breaths, feeling conscious of the growing anger in his chest.

"I know…I hate all the unknown."

A machine beeped and Bruce hustled over to it.

"Plates are done," he said gruffly, pressing his eyes to the viewers.

The cells were still.

"Tony," he called. "Tony, come look."

Iron Man strode across the lab to peek.

"They're not moving."

"No."

"So it isn't the baby moving like that?"

Bruce smiled.

"No."

They both breathed a momentary sigh of relief.

"Then what _is_ causing that?" Tony asked.

Bruce's shoulders slumped.

"I'm going to check the DNA, make sure everything's good while I'm at it. Shame I didn't get cells from the fetus."

"Huh?" Tony asked as he checked the centrifuge, "I thought the whole point of this was that you got cells from the baby."

"No, I took them from the placenta. I mean, the whole thing is tiny, I'm lucky to have been able to get anything. At this stage in the pregnancy they're basically one and the same. Point is, the movement includes both equally. The whole thing was moving around like that. I only know I didn't get cells from the fetus because there aren't chromosomal markers on these. I was hoping there would be, so I could at least tell Steve the baby's gender…cheer him up a little."

Tony nodded absentmindedly and replayed the video of the Ultrasound.

"It looks almost like an energy signature," Tony noted.

"Yeah…"

Bruce stared at the spinning tube in the centrifuge. A thought hit him like a bolt of lightning. _What if…what if I've been right all along? What if my accident was closer to the truth than I'd thought? What if all my years of research haven't been wasted? _He scampered suddenly across the lab.

"Recalibrate it! Recalibrate it!" he commanded urgently, pushing Tony out of the way and pushing buttons furiously on the machine that held the plates.

"Wha-? Bruce, what're you-" Tony shouted as he stared in complete bewilderment at his suddenly-crazed friend.

Bruce finished inputting code into the machine and spun around, a wild gleam in his eyes.

"Tony," he said, maniacal expression frozen in place, "What if I was right? All along? My research about the serum?"

"Bruce?" Tony asked, totally confused.

"The interference. What if it _is_ coming from the baby?"

Tony shook his head, still lost.

"Gamma," Bruce whispered, "What if the key to the serum _is _gamma radiation? The serum's in Steve's DNA, so it has to be in the baby's. Has Steve ever had an Ultrasound?"

The inventor frowned for a moment, then redirected the question to his AI.

"JARVIS?"

"No, sir. Captain Rogers has no Ultrasounds on record."

The look on Bruce's face intensified. Tony considered what the scientist was saying for a moment.

"Get him up here, right now. If the serum's key is gamma, it'll show up in Steve and affect the scan the same way," Tony commanded JARVIS.

"Yes, sir."

Steve burst into the lab, his wife in tow. His right hand lay under the Ultrasound machine, his other was being slowly shredded by Tina's nails. Bruce watched the loading screen with beads of perspiration forming on his forehead.

"It's ready," he said monotonously.

The couple held their breath. Bruce closed his eyes and pressed the button to reveal the scan.

* * *

**Another cliffie! Sorry 'bout that, but it's soooo hard not to sometimes...**

**Ahem...um, sorry for all the pseudoscience. I know, I know. That's not how Ultrasounds work. But goddangit, I'm allowed a little creative license. **

**Thanks for all the reviews! They make me inspired to write faster ;)**


	6. Results

The world seemed to slow, and every heartbeat sounded loud in Steve's ears. The image formed on the screen. He forced himself to breathe, realizing that he hadn't since Bruce set up the machine.

The picture moved. Twisting and alternating shape, the image wasn't recognizable as a hand. Bruce let out a relieved chuckle, and Tina sucked in a huge breath.

"Oh thank god," Steve said weakly.

"This means it's just the gamma in your blood…so there's probably nothing wrong with the baby at all," Bruce said.

Tina sat in a chair as her knees went limp. Relief coursed through her body and she felt faint. Steve yanked his hand out from under the machine so he could steady her. He knelt in front of the chair, taking her hands. He ran his thumbs over the backs of her hands, staring into her joy-filled, slightly teary eyes.

"So have I maxed out my stress limit for the week yet?" she joked feebly.

Bruce laughed out loud again.

"Most definitely," he answered.

Tony knocked on the door and entered the room, staring at a sheet of paper.

"All DNA is turning up perfectly normal, Bruce, so what the hell is-"

His head jerked up and he caught sight of the video Bruce was replaying. He watched the weird Ultrasound for just half a second before grinning in relief.

"Oh, good. It's just Spangles being a freak…whew," he laughed.

Tina gave him a reproachful look, but Steve didn't seem to care. Tony winked.

"It's fine if Capsicle's a freak, but we can't have the littlest Avenger getting hurt in the process," Tony explained.

"The littlest Avenger?" Tina stared at Tony in disbelief, "The baby is not an Avenger, Tony. Nor will they be!"

"At least for a while," Steve said with a mischievous grin.

"An honorary member, then," Tony amended, "at least for a while."

Tina raised an eyebrow at Steve but turned back to Tony, pouting.

"How come I'm not an honorary member?"

Tony patted her on the head like a small child.

"Because you are far too short. And little. And…just no."

Steve half-heartedly shoved Tony's shoulder.

"Hey, don't be a jerk." Any effect his words might have had was taken away by the fact that he was still grinning ear-to-ear.

Tony laughed and left the room. Steve pulled Tina up to hold her close. After a moment, he murmured in her ear.

"The number of times I've asked if we could have breakfast today and been ignored," he said softly, smile still in place.

Tina giggled.

"How does an omelet sound?" She slipped her hand in his and led him into the kitchen.

…

"So," Thor began through a mouthful of eggs, "When will you tell your parents about the babe?"

Tina nibbled her toast daintily.

"Next weekend when we see them."

Steve chortled.

"And _you_ gotta break the news," he teased.

She shrugged indifferently.

"It's just Mom and Dad. And I know Mom is going to be thrilled."

"True," the soldier agreed, scooping up another forkful of omelet, "Any time we remind her that I'm your husband she asks when we're going to give her grandbabies."

"I'm sure your father will be just as excited," Pepper reassured her. "He seemed very nice when we met at your wedding."

"He's a real swell guy," Steve added, "I'm proud to call him dad."

Tina smiled up at Steve, but Clint frowned slightly.

"Jeff's a little too sharp for my liking," the spy said slowly, "I think he has more figured out than he wants us to know."

Natasha nodded, sipping her coffee.

"Other people realized that Captain America was the only missing Avenger at the wedding, but they bought the whole 'foreign peace tour' fib. He heard me say that and immediately starting giving Steve funny looks," she noted.

"Well," Tina said, frowning, "he's never mentioned it to me."

The expression of revelation on Steve's face was comical. All that was needed to complete the picture was a lightbulb floating over his head.

"Is that why he always picks on me to take pictures and work the computer? He's testing me?" he wondered aloud.

Tina laughed it off and shoved the archer's arm lightly as she put her cup in the sink.

"Clint, I think your paranoia is contagious."

He rolled his eyes, throwing another cup exactly on top of hers with a flick of his wrist.

Steve sighed and set down his newspaper to go pack up clothes for the weekend, but a small voice in the back of his mind wondered whether Clint could be right.

* * *

**Blahhh. Sorry, I know it's short and took forever, I've had a VERY busy week. I'll make it up to you guys this week, I promise. :)**

**Reviews are highly appreciated!**


	7. Everyone Knows

"Steeeeve? Steeeeve?"

The super-soldier groaned internally as the children's voices chorused around his head.

"Steeeeeve!" Kenny chirped as he tugged on Steve's heavy arm.

He closed his eyes again and made exaggerated snoring noises.

"No more sleeping!" Chase, the other nine year old, begged.

Steve reluctantly sat up, rubbing his eyes, and noticing that while her cousins were gathered in abundance, Tina was nowhere to be found. Carter, now three, let out a little scream of excitement to see his "best buddy".

"Steve! Buddy!" he shouted, clambering onto the bed beside him.

Steve yawned and tousled the toddler's hair.

"Hey pal," he said sleepily. "You guys know it's only eight, right?"

"Eight-oh-two," Ricky said proudly, pointing at the digital clock. "And Mommy said we had to stay in bed until eight so we did and now we're up and you are too can we play now?"

The soldier grinned, rolling his eyes.

"Sure, but here's the deal: you gotta be quiet until I get dressed. Don't wake anyone else up, kay?"

The boys nodded eagerly and Steve ducked out of Tina's childhood bedroom into the small bathroom to yank on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. When he came out he knelt to be at their level.

"Here's the game," he announced in a whisper, "We're gonna play spies. You have to be super quiet so you don't get caught, and make sure no one sees you."

"Can we have code names?" Chase asked.

"Sure thing, bud. But first, we need to do your test mission, to see whether you're good enough. They don't let just anyone be a spy you know," he said knowledgeably.

Carter giggled and his brother Ricky shushed him.

"So, first mission: creep downstairs and hide under the kitchen table. Make sure you don't make noise! I'm going to go undercover, so I'll be talking, but don't let that throw you off. When I say the code word 'breakfast', run outside to the tree house. You can make up your codenames there for a while until I'm done being undercover. Ready?"

Kenny raised his hand.

"You, sir, what's your question?" Steve asked in his best imitation of General Phillips.

"Can we, um, have levels?"

Steve cocked an eyebrow up.

"Levels?"

"Yeah. Like you. Cause you're a captain."

"You can get ranks in a bit. I'll go first, and you guys follow, okay?"

Steve resisted the urge to laugh as he went to the kitchen, where Tina was standing with a glass of lemon water.

"Tina," he said in a theatrical voice, "it's a good thing there's no spies in the house, huh? Wouldn't want to be spied on, would we?"

Tina smirked.

"Oh no, that'd be horrible, Steve. Lord knows what they'd do with such valuable information." Her eyes followed a cluster of her small cousins sliding under the table.

Steve hugged her and kissed the top of her head, peeking to make sure that all four boys were in the room.

"Are you in the mood for breakfast?" he asked, winking at Kenny.

There as a scuffle as the kids scooted out of the room, giggling and bumping into things on the way out.

Tina rolled her eyes.

"Sorry they woke you. I didn't realize they were awake yet, but I have to say, good diversion."

Steve chuckled, pouring himself some coffee.

"How did they even know we were here? They were in bed when we showed up last night," he asked.

Tina pointed at Steve's silver Camaro in the driveway (a wedding present from who else but Tony Stark). She smelled his coffee wistfully, and he pulled it back from her.

"No caffeine," he chastised her.

Tina sniffed reproachfully.

"Ugh, I know. Stop teasing me with it, then!"

He sighed and leaned against the counter, sipping his drink.

"You were up early," he changed the subject.

She shrugged, the movement emphasizing her small stature. Tina hopped up and sat on the counter beside her husband.

"I'm a bit nervous," she confessed after a moment.

Steve turned and set his mug on the counter. He cupped her face in his hands.

"It's going to go just fine. Think about how excited your dad's going to be. Mom too."

"I hope she still remembers us this morning," Tina said with a touch of sadness, thinking of her mother's Alzheimer's.

"If not, she'll be overjoyed to meet us again," Steve touched his forehead to hers, "It could be worse, honey. At least she's happy, right? Even if she doesn't always know what's going on, she's happy."

A small smile appeared on Tina's face.

"You're right. I know they'll be excited about the baby…I just don't know what to say."

Steve laughed softly.

"I'm awful with words, don't ask me!"

"Stop that, you say sweet things all the time."

Tina swatted his arm playfully.

"Nope. They drop me into a war, point me in the right direction and tell me 'go hit stuff'. Not 'go win hearts and wow people with your words'."

"You did though, you sold war bonds with your charm," Tina insisted.

"And cheesy script that someone else wrote for me. But mostly, I think it was the girls in short skirts selling the bonds."

She sighed. Steve took her hand and kissed each of her fingertips, then her palm.

"How you decide to say it doesn't really matter. Just share the news. It'll be the right thing to say," he reassured her.

Steve rested his hand on her just-barely-rounded stomach. At two months pregnant, Tina still looked almost exactly the same. So far, only she and Steve were able to see a difference in her physique, but she was avoiding tight shirts like the plague anyway.

"Thanks, babe," she smiled. "In other good news, I haven't gotten sick in the last week. I think I'm in the clear."

Steve knocked on the wooden counter, just in case, smirking slightly.

"Good. That was awful and I didn't even have to go through it. When did Bruce say it would stop? Eleven weeks?"

"Yeah, but thankfully, I'm done at nine! Well, I think I am anyway."

Tina knocked too, laughing a little as she did so.

"Bah. And you say I'm the superstitious one," Steve winked.

…

Tina's relatives rarely gathered all at once because of the chaos it created, but the fourth of July and her graduation from college needed to be celebrated, so everyone had come. The large oval table in the rarely-used dining room was full of light, people, and food. The children had their own 'kids table' in the kitchen and sounds of rampant giggling could be heard. Tina bit her lip and stared at the food on her plate, still filled with swirling nerves. Steve squeezed her hand gently, giving her a please-relax look. She smiled half-heartedly back, and took a deep breath. Tina stood, although it made little difference due to her lack of height, and clinked her spoon against her glass.

"Hey everyone," she began a bit shakily, "Thanks for coming, I'm happy to see you all at my graduation party."

A few of her uncles cheered and her mom laughed.

"But I-we," she took as steadying breath and held Steve's wrist for dear life, "We have another announcement too. Um, I'm pregnant. So Steve and I are gonna have a baby."

Tina sat quickly, unable to help the rush of blood to her cheeks as she felt everyone's eyes on her. The room went from rather quiet to extraordinarily loud in mere moments.

"Oh my god!"

"Congratulations!"

"Knew it was just a matter of time!"

"Oh, the boys will be so excited!"

"When are you due?"

Steve smiled broadly and attempted to answer as many questions as possible, rubbing his thumb on the back of Tina's hand.

Her eyes were only for her parents. Her dad walked around the table and pulled Tina right out of her chair into a big hug.

"I'm so excited for you, baby," he mumbled.

Tina sighed with relief.

"Isn't it so wonderful? I can't wait to-Dad? Are you…?"

Jeff pulled back and roughly wiped the tear which had slipped out.

"No. I'm just-bah!"

Tina laughed and held onto his hands.

"Not ready to be a grandpa?"

He shrugged.

"A bit. It's just amazing so see my baby having her own baby," he admitted gruffly. He turned to Steve for a high-five. "Good job, Steve! When can I expect to see the little bundle of joy anyway?"

"Well, the baby's due February fifteenth. So hopefully around then," he bounced a little on his heels, uncontained excitement showing through.

Jeff chuckled, then stooped to explain to his wife, who hung back looking confused. Steve kissed Tina's head and began helping her aunt Amy wash the dishes.

"Congrats," she said as he handed her a freshly scrubbed plate to dry.

"Thanks," he smiled.

"I remember my first...that was Ricky. Thank goodness my husband was there the whole time or I would have completely gone insane. Having kids is weird and crazy, but wonderful. I think you're going to be a great dad."

"Really?" he paused a moment, mid-wipe.

"Yes," she responded assuredly, "the way you are with Carter and all the boys? Absolutely."

The soldier smiled. _Maybe I have less to worry about than I think._

Tina answered the slew of questions as best she could.

"No, we don't know the baby's gender. We're not going to find out. Oh, lord, I HOPE it's not twins! We're not naming the baby after great-great uncle Earl or great aunt Ethel. I said _no_. Natural childbirth? Um, I don't know. That freaks out Steve. Yes we're planning a nursery. No, we're thinking of staying in the Tower. There's plenty of space."

Tina's trampy cousin Macy swaggered up to her.

"Ah! Girl, congrats!"

"Thanks Macy," Tina smiled and hugged her. _Maybe she's changed since the last time I saw her. Maybe she's trying out niceness. _

"I'm so happy for you," she snapped her gum and grinned.

"We're pretty excited too. There's so much to do!"

"Yeah, _totally_. And this def explains that chub you got going there, right? Hahaha, I _knew_ that had to be more than ice cream and getting too comfortable in your relationship! Guess you knew the only way he'd ever stay with someone like you is if you had a baby huh?"

Tina scowled. _Nope. Still mean._

"Gee, thanks."

A man's voice joined the conversation.

"Isn't it this cutest thing you've ever seen?"

Steve wrapped his arms around Tina from behind, resting his palms on her belly. Macy lifted her eyebrows in doubt.

"I guess if you've got a thing for chubby girls."

"I have a thing for _this_ girl," he said kissing the top of Tina's head.

She smiled smugly at her cousin. _Take that, jerk._ Macy rolled her eyes and stalked away. Tina spun around in Steve's arms.

"Bah! Why does she always-"

"Tina."

"She's just gotta take a nice night and-"

"Honey."

"She makes me crazy! She always-"

"Tina!"

Steve cupped her face with one hand while the other arm pulled her closer.

"She's nasty, but it's mostly because she's insanely jealous of you. Let it go, sweetie. There's nothing you can do to make her nice."

Tina sighed.

"Haters gonna hate, right?"

Steve's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Um…sure."

…

Steve parked the car in the garage under the Stark Tower. As he pulled out the keys, he glanced over at his wife. Tina was curled into a ball on the seat, blonde curls askew in sharp contrast to the black leather, sleeping soundly. The rhythm of her breathing was steady and calm; a familiar sound that Steve associated with safety, with home. He couldn't bring himself to wake her. Steve threw their bags over his shoulder and gently lifted her into his arms. Her eyelids fluttered and he cuddled her closer.

"Shh," he murmured, rocking her slightly.

Steve walked through the house, filled with silent gratitude that JARVIS was dimly lighting the deserted house in front of him without being told to do so. The soldier placed her on the bed, slipping her into her favorite nightie and doing his best not to jostle her. Steve tucked the covers under her chin, just the way she liked. He half-smiled as he got in next to her. Steve put his hand over the baby and fell asleep, feeling better than he had in some time.

* * *

**Review please!**


	8. Pop

Steve stared at the table in front of him, curling his toes up in his shoes with nerves. The deafening silence in the room was broken only by steady footsteps pacing leisurely back and forth. The captain could feel a bead of sweat beginning to form on the back of his neck and his palms were starting to feel clammy. _Say something! _He wanted to yell.

"So," Fury finally said, "this is an interesting, not altogether unexpected development. Not surprising, but very interesting."

Steve looked up, waiting for the director to elaborate on his statement.

"I'm guessing you're going to need some time off then?"

"Thank you sir," Steve grinned, "Yes, I do."

Fury nodded, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Talk to Maria on the way out, will you?"

The captain stood and shook Fury's hand, still smiling broadly.

"Thanks again."

"And Steve? Congrats. Tell Christina congratulations, too. Maybe I can make up a little lost ground with her."

"If she's due mid-February…hmm…Okay, I'm thinking we keep you on regular duty until October," Agent Hill said, tapping a pencil against her cheek as she stared at the computer screen. "After then, you can do part-time control booth stuff until…say May?"

"Sounds great to me," Steve agreed amiably, thinking fondly of the off time he was going to get with his wife and new baby.

"Agreed then. By the way, we're seeing flare ups from all of our spies in what remains of HYDRA. You should be ready to ship out in the next few days."

"I will. Bye, Maria!"

Steve whistled and called Tina to tell her the news.

…

Tina sat on a yoga mat next to Natasha, who apparently had taken enough courses in child delivery to count as an instructor.

"Hey Nat?" she asked.

"You're supposed to be breathing, dopey," the spy responded calmly.

"Why did you ever bother learning about this stuff?"

Natasha pulled her hands down from prayer position and let them rest on her folded legs.

"If you hadn't noticed, I am a wildly paranoid person. I wanted to be prepared for any possible situation, so I learned what to do if I went into labor by myself…it was before I knew-"

Her brown eyes snapped shut again.

"Practice the deep breath again, let it fill your lungs comple-"

"Knew what?" Tina couldn't help asking.

Natasha deigned to not respond.

"Can you not have kids, Nat?" the artist asked softly.

"No," the redhead responded at last. "In the Red Room, they…well. We were trained as weapons, as spies, mercenaries, assassins. As women, we would be underestimated and could use our bodies to achieve goals that men could not. But being a woman is also a liability sometimes…they eliminate liabilities…so…"

Tina scooted over and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"I'm sorry Nat. It sucks to have people take your options away."

Natasha was still under Tina's embrace, but after a moment she softened a little, awkwardly putting her arms around the little blonde.

"I probably shouldn't have had children anyway," she said gruffly, "I'd be a horrible mother."

"Nah," Tina said, "I think you'd be great at anything you choose to do."

The Black Widow took a small, controlled breath and Tina realized that her friend had reached her emotional limit for the day.

"What kind of breath do I do again?"

Natasha smiled gratefully and was about to answer when she was interrupted by "Yankee Doodle Dandy" playing shrilly.

"Oops!" Tina said, getting up, "That's my phone."

She picked it up and put it to her ear.

"Hey Steve! Oh that's great! I'm sure it wasn't that bad. No it wasn't. I had to do it twice, so did you, fair's fair. You big baby. Wow, that's awesome that you got so much time! Uh-huh. Mm-hm. Aw, yeah I'd forgotten about that. Well…I guess that's the point of being a superhero. Okay. Yeah. Love you! Bye."

"You're telling me," Tony began as he slouched into the room, "that the woman who _constantly_ rails on me about calling Steve 'Spangles' has his contact ringtone set to "Yankee Doodle"? Talk about hypocrisy!"

Tina giggled.

"Sh! Don't tell him! You'll spoil the fun!"

"Do I have a contact ringtone?" the billionaire asked curiously.

"Now _that's_ egocentric," Tina laughed.

…

"I am officially starting my second trimester today," Tina announced as Steve got out ingredients to make dinner.

"Twelve weeks went by quick, huh?"

"Yeah. And I'm fat."

Tina looked gloomily down at her abdomen, which was past the maybe-she's-just-chubby phase and fully into the wow-that-is-one-pregnant-chick phase. Steve's wardrobe had basically been kidnapped by his wife, who cowered at the idea of allowing Pepper to take her on a shopping spree.

"Stop that," Steve commanded, "You're expecting, not fat. You look like a mother-to-be, not like you overdid it on cookies, so knock it off."

"No, really, I think I'm abnormally giant."

Steve glowered and she hastened to elaborate.

"For twelve weeks, I think I'm really big, that's what I mean."

"I'll check the book later."

He rubbed her belly and she sighed with mild annoyance.

"You and your beloved book."

Tina leaned against the counter and her husband only just managed to not roll his eyes.

"Are you gonna cut the carrots or stare at 'em?"

"Aye-aye Captain!" Tina saluted and started making the salad.

"Knock it," he grumbled, not quite succeeding in holding back his smile.

"Yessir, right away, sir," Tina giggled.

…

Tony set his fork down on the table.

"You know," he began, "I think I might need to revise your nickname, Tina."

"Which one? Blondie? Shorty?" she rolled her eyes and helped herself to more chicken soup.

"No those can stay. It's 'Tiny Tina' I'm worried about. I think I'll just switch that over to 'Tubby Tina' for the time being."

Tina rolled her eyes, but Steve stiffened in his chair.

"Hey," he growled. Steve's eyes flashed in warning, and even Tony seemed to realize he had trodden into unsafe territory.

"Although I agree," Tina said neutrally, "that was pretty rude."

Steve's glare continued to burn a hole in the side of Tony's head.

"And," she continued, "you're very lucky my hormones are sort of under control right now. Because if they weren't, Lord knows what I would have done."

"Really," Natasha added, "I taught her some self-defense. But she might have totally gone nuts and stabbed you while you were sleeping."

"Or sobbed a river that flows like the Hudson," Thor piped in.

"Or fired up Steve until he punched your light out," Clint said, pointing to the arc reactor for emphasis.

"Whoah, whoah," Tony held up his hands defensively, "She's preggo, I thought it'd be funny!"

"Seriously, Tony," Pepper said as she primly set her napkin onto her plate, "You knew that was an incredibly insensitive thing to say."

Steve held up a menacing finger.

"One word from her and I pound you into next week. One."

Tina sighed again.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. While it's flattering that you're having this little testosterone-fueled argument over me," she cleared her plate and Natasha's with a flourish, "Knock it."

Tony slumped in his chair muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'sheesh' while Steve almost smirk as his wife borrowed his words.

"And don't make fat jokes," Tina added in a slightly more serious and vulnerable tone, "I already feel self-conscious enough."

The kitchen was silent for a while.

"Well," Thor said, scratching his beard, "this should be interesting as you get further along."

Bruce laughed once, quickly.

"I know what we should do," Natasha said suddenly, "We just need some fabric, a sewing machine, and maybe a llama. Or an alpaca."

Without another word, she dragged four extremely confused men from the room after her, leaving Steve, Pepper and Tina to stare at each other in bewilderment.

* * *

**Oh boy...Natasha's up to something! Next chapter is full of new developments as Tina gets a new wardrobe and the surprise of her life!**

**Review please, thanks so much!**


	9. Hey, Mom

Tina dragged her feet behind Pepper.

"I'm tired," she whined.

"What you are is 'not done yet'." Pepper responded crisply, glancing at another rack of maternity clothes before moving on.

"Pep," Tina moaned, "we have enough clothes to cover half the planet! I'm only fourteen weeks, do I really need the 9-month stuff yet?"

"Do you want to have to do this again?" she arched an eyebrow.

Tina frantically shook her head and Pepper rolled her eyes.

"I know. So tough it out two more minutes, then we can go home." Pepper examined an auburn sweater momentarily before setting it aside. _Not Tina's color. _She turned and caught sight of Tina yanking the shirt she had stolen from Steve down. Although she had only just started her second trimester, Tina looked more like she was five months pregnant than three and half. Pepper tended to agree with Bruce and Thor in the thought that it was because Tina was such a tiny girl and Steve was such a huge guy.

"Why don't you go pick out a t-shirt and change into that now?" Pepper suggested, watching the shirt slowly ride up over Tina's rounded belly again.

Tina nodded, digging through the massively filled cart and heading off to a dressing room with a pair of jeans and a shirt.

…

"Gimme that," Natasha commanded, holding her hand out.

Thor obediently placed the cloth in her hand, and she began sewing two pieces together.

"Scalpel…sponge…" Clint joked at the serious vibe his woman was throwing off.

Tony peeked over the assassin's shoulder to stare at her project.

"Know what this is like?" Tony said with a dangerously cocky smile.

"Shut up," Clint advised in a worried tone, "Dude, it'll be better for all of us. Don't."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Just wait until she's done with the sharp stuff," Bruce added.

Steve stared in wonder at the sewing machine.

"This is amazing," he gaped. "Do you realize how much time my mom would have saved if she had one of these?"

Thor nodded.

"My mother uses magic for most of her embroidery, but sometimes she does it by hand. It soothes her, I think."

"Are all the bowls labeled?" Natasha barked.

"Yep. And we put little sparkles in this one," Clint pointed.

"And there's themed confetti in each of the other ones," Bruce said proudly.

Natasha sat back, pleased with her finished work.

"Okay, I'm done. Steve, this is your job now. Paint away, Cap."  
Steve examined it closely, envisioning how he wanted it to look, then dipped his paintbrush into a jar.

…

"Hello?" Pepper called as she walked into the house behind Tina.

Her eyes narrowed when she realized the glass of Tony's lab was tinted dark. Tina turned and held her ear to the door.

"They're in there all right," she decided. "And whatever they're doing it's pretty flippin' hilarious. They sound like sixth grade girls with the all the giggling that's going on in there."

"JARVIS, open the lab please." Pepper commanded.

"Access denied."

She frowned.

"Clear the glass."

"I'm sorry, Miss Potts, I'm forbidden to do that right now," JARVIS sounded apologetic towards his favorite house member.

"Well tell Tony to open the door himself then," she pouted a little.

"Yes, ma'am."

The giggling hushed, and the door opened a crack. Somehow everyone managed to cram their face into the opening.

"Nice shirt," Tony remarked.

Tina smiled, looking down. It was a bright shade of green and said 'I can make people. What's your superpower?' on the front. She thought it was pretty appropriate considering the baby's family.

"Thanks. Gonna let us into Fort Knox now?"

Natasha wiggled to the front of the group, still keeping the door mostly shut and holding something behind her back.

"Just a moment," Thor said excitedly.

"We know you've been feeling a bit self-conscious lately," Natasha began, "Which Tony was rude enough to point out." The billionaire rolled his eyes. "Your body is doing some weird stuff, naturally it's a bit strange to adjust to. So, we thought this might help."

Natasha pulled an object from behind her back.

It was a little doll. About eight inches in length and made of soft cotton cloth, it was painted in a style that seemed familiar to Tina. But more familiar was the face. It looked like her, bright green eyes and all. Her blonde hair was painted in curls down her back and over her shoulders.

"Is this me?" Tina was simultaneously touched and confused.

Natasha handed it to her as Clint answered.

"Yeah. But it's you before you were pregnant, right?"

Tina nodded, noticing the lack of baby bump. Thor opened the door to the lab.

"Fill 'er up," Tony said, pointing to the pocket on the front.

She walked inside to find bowls of soft fluffy stuff spread all over the table. Each bowl was labeled and sprinkled with confetti cut into different shapes. _Sporty. Sweet. Artistic. Smart. Brave. Kind._ There had to be at least twenty different traits represented in various bowls. Tina turned around.

"What do you want the baby to be like?" Natasha prompted her.

The mother-to-be laughed a little, and took a small heart labeled 'baby Rogers' from Thor.

"This is your and Steve's love," he explained. "You start with that."

She put it in the belly pocket on the doll's shirt.

"Steve? Wanna help?"

The soldier grinned eagerly, taking a pinch of "artistic" with him. Bruce snuck in some "curious" to go with Tony's "smart" and Clint insisted on adding "attractive" to the mix. Tina put "loving" and "funny" in, quickly followed by Thor's "brave". Steve added "loyal" and a bit of "thoughtful" while Pepper snuck in some "organized".

"Awh," Tina whined, "It's full. I almost wish it had more space."

She held the doll, which now had a giant belly, up for everyone to see. Steve grinned.

"It's adorable, I gotta say," he said.

Tina hugged Natasha.

"This was a great idea," she murmured, "thanks."

She tried to nonchalantly rub the tears out of her eyes. _Damn hormones,_ she thought with frustration.

"Hey, I was the one who got all the vegan alpaca fur for the stuffing," Tony complained.

"It's very lovely," Tina said to placate him, "Everything was. Thanks to all of you. Especially," she turned to face her husband, eyes narrowed, "to you. You painted this, right?"

Steve blushed a bit and scuffed the floor with his sneaker.

"Yeah."

Tina cupped his face in her hands and pulled him down so she could peck him on the lips.

"It's beautiful. I love it."

Steve smiled her favorite schoolboy grin. Tina never felt even the slightest bit self-conscious about her belly again. Because she knew it was full of "smart", "artistic", "loving" and "thoughtful".

…

Tony dictated a last order to JARVIS as he walked into the kitchen, unknowingly walking into a severe culinary disagreement.

"The only way to make them is on a campfire," Steve contested hotly.

"Yeah, but who has time for a campfire every time you crave a s'more?" Tina argued. "That's the beauty of the oven s'more."

"If you're going after speed, not quality, you might as well just microwave them."

"Yuck! You realize what a microwave would do to graham crackers?"

Steve crossed his arms.

"Fine. You make your nasty oven s'more and I'll do it in the microwave. Time it takes counts for a third of the score."

"This is war," Tina agreed, "S'more war."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"You two are such dorks."

The littlest blonde stuck her tongue out at him.

"You wanna be the judge?" Steve offered.

Tony pretended to think it over, although free food was something he'd never say 'no' to.

"Abso-friggin-lutely."

Tina laughed and skipped into the huge, walk-in pantry to find ingredients, Steve trailing behind her.

"Marshmallows…marshmallows," she murmured, looking around for them, "Hmm."

She grinned victoriously when her eyes alighted on the package, hidden on the back of a shelf, of course. She knelt on the floor and reached forward as far as her arm could go. Her finger slid across the smooth plastic packaging. _Dang. One more inch. Where's Steve when I need him?_ Tina sighed and reached forward again, tongue sticking out in concentration. She heard Steve laugh behind her.

"Meanie," she said, but her husband seemed to be enjoying her difficulty and laughed again.

She turned to further chastise him, but she was interrupted.

A nudge. Like a gentle poke. A soft little 'hi, Mom'.

Tina gasped and her hand flew to the peak of her belly where she had felt the kick. Her jaw dropped and her eyes were wide. She had heard of expecting women feeling 'flutters' at this point in pregnancy, but hadn't experienced any herself. _Or maybe I did and didn't realize…maybe it wasn't gas or indigestion? Maybe that was the baby? _Either way, Tina hadn't expected to feel her child moving so deliberately for quite some time yet.

"Oh my god," she whispered.

A tear dripped out of her eye as she felt the small prodding again.

Tina was finally shaken out of her own thoughts, literally.

"Tina?!"

Steve was kneeling in front of her, hands on her shoulders. His face was a twisted mask of unadulterated panic.

"Tina, what is it? Are you hurt? What happened?"

Tina's mouth gaped as she tried to get the words to come out. Another tear fell and it increased Steve's growing fear.

"Honey, what's going on? I'm getting Bruce right now, don't move, it's okay-"

"No, no, Steve," Tina finally choked out, holding onto his shirt. "It's fine, it's wonderful."

His eyes burned through her. They demanded answers. She laughed wetly.

"I just-I…I felt the baby move just now."

"What?"

More tears came, which Steve brushed aside gently.

"I thought that wouldn't happen for a few weeks?" he asked, the panic subsiding.

Tina laughed again.

"Me too, but-oh!"

She felt the nudge again.

"I'm not sure the baby likes me sitting all bent over like this," she said, staring up at Steve with a teary smile.

The soldier laughed a little, cuddling her close. He was still a bit wound up from his mini freak out.

"Where?" He put his hand on her rounded belly. "Show me."

"You won't be able to feel it yet," Tina cautioned him. "Unless your super-senses also include super-sensitive to touch?"

Steve wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.

"You know how I'm good with touch," he said with a rakish grin.

Tina blushed.

"You know that's not what I meant," she grumbled, but she placed his hand over the spot she'd last felt movement.

He waited with bated breath. They sat in silence for a long moment.

"I guess he's all done," Tina decided.

She pulled in her knees to stand, but stopped when she heard a sharp intake of breath from her husband.

Steve gasped as he felt the smallest push against his palm.

"Holy crap!" he exclaimed.

He started laughing hysterically.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Tina matched his grin exactly.

"Wow," he agreed.

Steve bent and kissed the top of her bump.

"Nice one, champ."

"Are you guys doing anything gross in there?" Tony yelled from the kitchen. "I thought I was getting s'mores!"

"That," Steve continued, "is your Uncle Tony. He's wildly insensitive and often incredibly rude. We love him to pieces anyway."

Tina laughed.

"Let's go. I still have to kick your butt."

"Not today," the Captain grinned.

* * *

**D'awwwww. Next chapter Bruce figures out something shocking, and Pepper has something up her sleeve!**

**Review please!**


	10. Double Trouble

Bruce walked into the kitchen, which smelled like melting chocolate.

"Tina, I wanted to see you."

"To taste one of my s'mores? Or something else?"

Tina gleefully munched one of her award-winning s'mores while Steve scowled at his mushy confection.

"Your AFP levels are really high, and I wanted to check…something out."

Bruce looked away and shifted his weight a little. Steve's expression immediately melted into one of worry, and a touch of fear. Tina swallowed nervously.

"Okay. Let's go."

…

Bruce attached the sensors to various points on her belly, hooking them up to the large computer.

"This is a Doppler scan. These are going to let us hear the baby's heartbeat," he explained, "Since we can't see the lil fella. Or little lady. It's pretty cool actually," the scientist smiled.

Tina and Steve grinned at each other despite their worries.

"It sounds awesome," Steve said.

"I always forget you didn't have these prenatal scans in your day. It was just wait and see what happens," Tina mused.

"Which, thanks to Dr. Erskine and his serum, is still kind of the situation here," Steve reminded her.

Bruce flicked something on the screen, and a little choir of beeps echoed around the small room. Steve's eyebrows shot up and Bruce laughed.

"Yeah I know, it's loud. And this particular machine is not exactly meant for this, but with a little fiddling, it should work. Let me separate Tina's heartbeat…that'll be the slowest one."

He waved his hand and a new bar appeared on the screen with a large sound wave on it. He pulled the volume down to mute and stared at the remaining bar. The beeps were still echoing.

"That's annoying. Damn machine," he murmured, fiddling with a few levels. Bruce split the wave in two, muting one, then the other. Finally, something appeared to dawn on him and he laughed, adjusting another level.

"Okay," the scientist announced, rubbing his palms together with a somewhat mischievous grin. "Here's the baby's heartbeat."

The beeps were fairly quick, but consistent. Tina closed her eyes and listened in wonder. Something wet fell on her arm, and she was surprised to find silent tears streaming from Steve, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped in awe.

"That's our baby," he mumbled. "Oh my god."

Tina squeezed his hand, smiling up at him.

"And," Bruce continued, still grinning like he hadn't gotten to the punch line yet, "Here is the other baby's heartbeat."

A second set of beeps took over, coming a little faster and bit less regularly.

"The…other?" Tina stared at Bruce in utter disbelief.

He chuckled again, nodding.

"I'll give you two a minute," he said as he exited the room.

The silence, only interrupted by the two babies' overlapping heartbeats, was stifling.

"Twins," Steve said in a monotone.

"There's two," Tina confirmed, somewhat tremulously.

Steve ran his hands through his hair, pulling on it. He concentrated on taking controlled breaths. His brain felt like it was stuck on one repeating loop. _Twins. Oh god there's two. Twins. Twins. Two babies, two, two, two, two._. He had been actively working to wrap his brain around having one child, becoming a father once, but two? Two kids? Two babies to take care of? Twice the responsibility, twice the worry. _Twice the labor for Tina._ She sat beside him, expression unreadable. Her fingertips tentatively rested on her belly. Steve knew he should say something to her, but he couldn't think straight.

"Tina?" he asked cautiously.

She looked up at him, fear and joy competing for dominance in her eyes.

"Steve…we can do this right?"

Steve's throat seemed to have closed up. He couldn't think. _What do I say what can I do how can I do this what do I do how can I make it all perfect what do I do-_

The Captain climbed into the tiny bed next to his sweetheart, pulling her onto his lap. He held her like a bird in his hands, gently, ever so softly. Steve placed his hands under hers, waiting for the baby-_no…babies, _he corrected himself- to kick. After a moment, he was rewarded with a tiny nudge against his hand. He chuckled softly.

"I wonder which one that was," he wondered quietly.

Tina looked up, her unanswered question still hanging in the air. She bit her lip.

"Hey," Steve rubbed her back, "it's okay. We can do this."

"We can?"

"Yeah. I mean, we aren't tag teaming the kid, two on one anymore, but two on two is more fair anyway. Plus we have backup," he added, "and if the Avengers can't handle two infants I don't know who can. We're not all alone. We wanted more than one kid eventually anyway, right? This is two for the price of one," he joked. "Two kids, and only one period of morning sickness. That's a plus."

"Yeah," she said weakly. A nervous giggle escaped her. "Pepper is gonna have a field day organizing coordinating outfits for these two."

"I wonder if they're identical or fraternal."

Tina shrugged.

"Maybe Bruce can tell us?"

Steve sighed.

"Well. I guess the problem of deciding which room to use for the nursery just got solved…we'll use both."

"We still have to pick out colors," Tina reminded him.

"I'll do one and you do one. How's that?"

"Fair," she agreed, "But it's your job to tell everyone that it's twins. Because I did it the first time."

Steve groaned.

"You always seem to get your way, don't you?"

"Hey, I'm carrying double trouble, don't you even start!"

"Double trouble," he repeated, chuckling.

There was another period of quiet, but this one was pensive, thoughtful, rather than stressed.

"This is kind of awesome," Tina decided at last.

Steve laughed.

"It's gonna be crazy…but I think it'll be really fun."

Natasha kicked the door open and leapt onto the foot of the bed, eyes ablaze. Clint ran in behind her, with the somewhat wearied look that must come with chasing an assassin around all the time.

"WHAT? You two are having twins?! Holy god!" she screamed. "Eto bezumiye! Vy volnuyus? Dvoye detey!"

"Yeah, Tash, it's crazy and I'm sure they are a little freaked out over the fact that there's two babies, but maybe they wanted a minute alone?" Clint said, attempting to pry the still-rabid Natasha off the bed.

"You know," Tina said as a side comment to Steve, "she could be yelling about rainbows and puppies, but The Black Widow screaming in Russian is always terrifying. No matter what she's saying."

"I guess our minute is over," Steve sighed as Thor and Tony bounded through the door.

"What was Natasha just saying?" Tony demanded.

"She said something about twins!" Thor boomed, giving Tina a questioning look.

"Hey, guys, you're not all allowed to barge in here! Natasha, for the last time, _stop eavesdropping!_" Bruce pushed on Thor's thickly muscled arm to no effect.

Pepper grinned and began making notes on her Stark Industries phone as everyone started yelling at once. New things needed to be planned, much to her delight.

"Jesus, Steve! You damn overachiever, _one_ kid wasn't enough to prove how huge and manly you are? You had to put _two_ in there? You have no pity for your tiny wife, do you?" Tony said, smiling with true happiness despite his sarcastic words.

"This is an exciting thing! I shall help with the babes, if needed," Thor announced.

Steve rolled his eyes and pressed Tina's head against his chest, effectively plugging her ears. Then, he put his free hand in his mouth and gave an ear-splittingly loud whistle. The commotion stopped immediately. Tina cleared her throat.

"Alrighty, Doc, anything else? Or are we done? Cuz I'd kinda like a snack."

Steve scooted out from behind her.

"Clear out, team!" he said in a tone somewhat like his Captain-voice.

Tina sighed as Bruce unhooked everything and helped her off the bed.

"It doesn't matter how many times I hear you use that tone," she said dreamily as Steve wrapped his arm around her shoulders and walked out, "it still turns me on."

"You're a weird kid, you know that?"

"Do the thing," she begged, stopping in the hall, "Say my favorite!"

"No," Steve grumbled, steering her towards the kitchen, "that's silly."

"Pleeeease?"

"No. I thought you were hungry? Let's go eat something," he said evasively.

"Steve?"

Tina turned the sad-puppy-eyes on full power, batting her lashes and putting on her best pleading face. Steve scowled for a moment before he gave in with a deep sigh.

"That's cheating," he commented, "that face."

"Steeeeve?"

The soldier obediently cleared his throat.

"Avengers, assemble!"

Natasha, Clint and Tony all had to step outside so that he didn't hear them laughing themselves silly. Unfortunately for them, they also missed Tina's swooning sigh.

"Ohh….that is so hot."

* * *

**Victory- reviewers. I originally planned on just one baby, but you guys asked for 'em and here they are! Twins for Captina :) So do you think the babies are identical? Fraternal? Boys? Girls? We shall see...**

**I know it's been SUPER fluffy lately, next chapter I promise some substance...it's just...fluff is so fun to write!**

**Reviewreviewreview! Because it makes me happy...and a happy Abby is a fast-writing Abby ;)**


	11. A Valiant Act

Steve was expecting the call, but at five thirty in the morning, it was particularly unwelcome.

"Intel says HYDRA's going make their move today. AIM is involved too…whatever it is they're doing, it's big and you're not gonna like it," Fury said without preamble. "Check in at the Helicarrier at oh-six hundred. Assemble the Avengers. Don't let Stark be late." The director ended the call abruptly and Steve set his phone down, rolling over in bed.

"Steve?" Tina's voice was muffled with sleep and she reached for him, almost unconsciously, like a baby reaches for their mother when scared.

"I'm shipping out, honey," he explained, ruffling her hair a little. "Shouldn't be too long of a mission," he hoped aloud.

Tina's bright emerald eyes opened full of worry.

"Oh," she murmured, fear coloring her tone.

She pulled herself as close to Steve as her burgeoning baby bump would allow. Tina shut her eyes tight. No matter how many times he left, Tina always worried that each mission would be his last. He was one of the more vulnerable Avengers. Less so than Black Widow and Hawkeye, but more so than Iron Man and Thor, and infinitely more vulnerable than the Hulk. She'd seen him in combat once before, and it wasn't exactly a memory she cherished, but she tried to remember just how lethal he could be, how quickly and intelligently he fought. It helped more than remembering his own shield biting into his shoulder, the massive scratch he'd gotten on the side of his face once, the million bruises, the broken bones. Steve's hand rubbed her sixteen-week pregnant belly while the other untangled her hair. They lay still for a while, just breathing together. After a long minute, he exhaled a soft sigh and Tina realized that time was up. She couldn't help the tension in her limbs. Steve softly touched his lips to hers.

"I'll be home soon, I promise," he whispered.

"In time to take me out to dinner on Friday?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's a date," he winked. "See ya soon, champ. And you, too, doll," he addressed their unborn children with one kiss each.

"Doll?" Tina commented, "Yesterday it was 'pal'."

Steve gave a low chuckle that rumbled in his chest, making one of the babies kick in response.

"I haven't made up my mind yet."

Within minutes he was gone and the bed suddenly seemed way bigger than it should be. The room was too quiet and the darkness, usually comforting, felt oppressive. Tina felt a sense of foreboding as she always did, but reminded herself to be a little more like Pepper. _Tough it out. Get yourself together. You're fine. He'll come home. He always does. _Tina put her hand over the right side of her belly, where one of the kids, _probably "doll"_, Tina thought with a chuckle, had decided to start kicking up a storm. _At least I have a bit of him with me this time._

…

Steve was not a fan of the locale. The abandoned city HYDRA and AIM had camped out in was dirty, freezing cold, plus age and neglect had made it treacherous enough to walk through, let alone fight in. And as an awesome bonus, all of the Avengers were unfamiliar with the territory. Oh. And it was snowing. Joy.

The Captain bashed the last AIM agent in sight with the flat of his shield, more to get him out of the way than anything else. He needed a vantage point. Or someone who had one.

"Hawkeye, what's going on?" he barked into his comm. link, as he began climbing the outside of a gutted skyscraper for a better view.

"Iron Man's got the West edge of the city locked up. Thor's got the southern front pretty well, but they're still hiding in those tanks up here on the East side. I can't get at em."

"Widow?" Captain asked, his warm breath fogging in the frigid air.

"Headed over to get them out of their little hidey-holes," she responded promptly.

"I just finished off the cowards who deserted to the North," Cap added, "I'll meet you over there, but don't attack yet. I've seen those tanks in action before. We need the Big Guy."

"I got eyes on him," Tony said, "He's having a lot of fun with those plasma grenades. I think they're tickling him."

"Get him over here. He's got tanks to beat up," Steve instructed.

"Cap," Tony sighed, "He never listens to me. You gotta get him."

Steve rolled his eyes and leaped down from the building, landing with a roll. He ran towards the rounds of roaring and smashing until he found the Hulk.

"HEY!" Steve shouted. It took a lot to get the Other Guy's attention, but Steve's voice was carrying and loud enough to make the beast pause in his HYDRA smackdown for a moment. "Hulk, are you having fun?" The rage monster grinned toothily in response, becoming surprisingly cute as he did so, enough to make Steve chuckle. "I know where some tanks are! Remember tanks? They make big booms. But you're really good at smashing 'em up. Wanna smash up some tanks?"

Hulk like smash tickle balls. Tickle balls fun. Hulk throw tickle ball! Go boom! Little people go boom, too. Tickle, tickle! See Cap. Hulk like Cap. Cap good. But Hulk no want stop play with tickle balls. Hulk like tickle balls! Cap have tanks? Hulk like tanks. Tank go crunch crunch boom when Hulk smash. Mmm. Tank fun. Tank big fun. Hulk go with Cap. Cap big good…but he little person. But, he little person who have tank, so that good.

Steve ran through the gathering snow quickly, but not quite at full speed as he led the Hulk towards the approaching HYRDA tanks.

"Got the big guy. Don't get in his way," he said.

"I'm going for the underbelly of the tanks," Natasha said quietly.

Steve stopped behind another gutted building while the Hulk stormed into the open, eagerly looking for the promised tanks. The Captain watched a figure clad in all black slip from the shadows around the river toward the tank, silent as the spider she took her name from.

"I'm done up here," Tony said.

"I as well, Captain," Thor added.

"Assemble," Steve said, the ghost of a smile in his voice as he said his team's favorite command.

No sooner than he spoke did enemy soldiers begin springing out of the surrounding buildings like a sudden plague of insects. They wove out from behind the semicircle of tanks toward the buildings, wielding plasma guns and other weapons powered by the Tesseract. Steve held his shield out of the blasted-out window as a signal to his team.

"Get 'em fellas," he commanded grimly.

He threw his shield at an enemy and rolled into the street, catching it as he stood.

"Cap, backup," Natasha's voice was suddenly in Steve's ear, colored with urgency and a bit of panic.

"Coming, Nat," Clint responded instantly.

Steve dove further into the fray, using his shield as a battering ram. When the Black Widow called for backup, things were going really, really bad. Using a tank as a springboard, Steve jumped over an entire group of HYDRA soldiers toward his teammate. _No time to fight. Gotta get them later. _Natasha was weaving around the tank nearest the frozen river, fighting as efficiently as ten agents, but even so, she couldn't hold off the waves of AIM soldiers forever. Clint was fighting his way over to her, beating men back with his bow. The Captain ducked as Thor's hammer blasted through a group of enemies, quickly followed by the god himself. Steve turned to direct Iron Man to one of the still-functional tanks, but he was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream of pure agony through the comm. link. He gasped involuntarily, wincing in sympathy. That scream could only come out of one person. It was a woman's voice.

"TASH!" Clint screamed, sprinting all-out to reach her side.

"What happened?" Steve said, shoulder slamming a soldier and kicking another about the head with a roundhouse kick. "Report, right now!"

"She's holding her arm, there's, shit, oh shit, there's blood everywhere," Tony replied nervously, "Oh god, she's laying down. She's not getting up. Damn, Clint's pissed, he's killing people like they're flies. He's a maniac and she's still all-"

"Enough, Stark," Steve responded tensely, "Call in a med team ASAP. Get Thor and help him keep the skies clear for them."

Steve climbed up another tank, anxious for the view of what was happening. The wind bit at his exposed skin like icy teeth. Clint was fighting like a madman to keep away those trying to take advantage of Natasha's prone form. Steve whistled and directed the Hulk towards a large cluster of soldiers hoping it would distract the other group.

"Leave the tanks," he instructed his largest teammate.

The Hulk obediently dove on the group, but they scattered quickly. The Captain scowled, realizing that this tactic wasn't going to work. Steve launched himself off the tank, sprinting towards his friends. He bludgeoned someone foolish enough to attempt stopping him and spun around another enemy agent.

The Captain straightened up, and for a moment, time seemed to slow. The glint of the missile launcher caught his eye as the HYDRA agent primed it, pointing it right at the assassin couple.

"No!"

Steve threw his whole body weight into throwing the vibranium disc, aiming it straight at Clint, hoping against hope for the strength to throw it far enough.

…

Thor felt cowardly, keeping the skies clear, staying out of the battle. _Keep the sky clear. Let the med helicopter come in. Stay in the air,_ he repeated the Captain's orders with disgust. Logically, he knew that the best way to help Natasha was not to fight those who injured her. He knew, rationally, that what she needed was a doctor to help fix her wounds. But in his heart he wanted nothing more than to allow fools who dared hurt the Lady Natasha taste Mjolnir's metal. Thor hated this battle. The cold was enough to remind him of Jotunheim. He resentfully blasted another enemy plane out of the air with lightning, when the flash of a red, white and blue disc near the ground caught his eye. Steve threw the shield with all his might at the Archer and Lady Natasha, and Thor gasped. _Does he mean to kill them?! _As the shield got within arm's reach of the pair, something collided with it, creating a massive explosion. The thunder god stiffened in shock, dropping a few feet in altitude. His eyes never left the spot where Clint and Natasha were, hidden under smoke. For a breathless moment, that was all he could see, the dark black smoke of a bomb. Then, the cloud began to settle and Thor at last saw the couple huddled together, scared, but untouched by the missile. Steve's shield was stuck into the skeletal remains of what had once been a building. _He blocked them with it, _Thor realized, _but he just gave up his only protection. _From the corner of his vision, Thor saw a blue blast from a tank, and the shock wave that followed. His eyes widened, but before he could do anything, he was launched backwards, struggling to get back into the air again.

Tony saw the tank fire just a moment before he was assailed with the shock wave. The Iron Man suit was knocked a few feet out of the air onto the ground. As he was blasted backwards, he saw another flash of blue across his vision that was too dark to be a weapon blast. Although Tony's fall was partially cushioned, it still hurt, and it took him a minute to get back up.

"Everyone okay?" he asked.

"Yes," Thor responded, breathing a bit heavy, "The Hulk is still smashing things, so I assume he is also well."

"Fine, but Nat's bleeding a lot. Where's that med team?" Clint said tensely.

Tony listened for Captain's usual quip. He was greeted instead with radio static.

"Cap?"

Nothing.

"Cap! Steve, are you okay?"

Tony heard nothing but the buzz of a silent channel. He launched the suit up.

"Cap's down. I'm going to look for him."

Thor growled and landed, standing in front of the Hulk. Although the green beast didn't like him, he had to try to command it the way Steve would have.

"Hulk!" he bellowed.

The rage monster glared at him, raising a fist against his least favorite teammate.

"That," he said quickly, pointing at a tank, "hurt Cap."

The Hulk roared in fury, dislike of the Asgardian completely forgotten. He jumped, shaking the ground as he did, and began beating the offending machine into rubble. Thor smiled, glad that the beast had decided to help fight for Steve. _The skies can take care of themselves for now. I have a Captain to avenge._

"Steve! Steve!" Tony called through the suit, searching for a dash of blue uniform on the dirty white and gray ground. "JARVIS, look for him." The AI began searching for Steve's tracker through the interference of the Tesseract-powered weapons. Tony flew like a rocket, scanning through buildings and piles of rubble. His eyes found a hole in the ice of the river and he inhaled sharply. _Please no, please no._

"Sir," the AI chimed, as if responding to his thoughts, "he's in the river."

Tony internally cursed and dove underwater. The beams of his arc reactor searched through the water, murky with blood, for a long moment, until at last they found the limp, red, white and blue clad body of the Captain. Tony grabbed him and yanked him out of the water placing him on the bank.

"J, diagnostics," he said impatiently, as his suit switched over to the medical interface. Where the steady blips of his heartbeat should have been, there was a drawn out beep. Tony put his hands on Steve's chest, firing up the repulsors to shock him. "Clear," he murmured to himself, zapping Steve. The beep continued, uninterrupted by a heartbeat. "Dammit, Steve," he growled, "Goddamn you." He charged the repulsors and shocked Steve again, but this time he was rewarded with a gasp from Steve, and a heartbeat, albeit an unsteady and feeble one, but a heartbeat nonetheless. The Captain remained totally limp, save for the weak fluttering of his chest as he struggled to breathe. Ice crystals began to form on his wet uniform. Tony stared at Steve's face. _Wake up. Get up, Spangles. Tell me what to do! _The soldier's lips were blue and his skin pale, even against the white snow. Tony started noticing something…there was red staining the dirty gray snow. _What? No! _He inhaled sharply and broke his gaze to inspect the rest of Steve's body. He was bleeding – from everywhere, it seemed. Blood seeped from countless rips and tears in his uniform, but the biggest wound was the yawning, fist-sized hole just above his hip. The exit wound was gurgling blood at an alarming rate. _How did I not see that before? _The Hulk ambled over, confused as he usually was when the fight ended. He caught sight of Steve and roared in fury. AIM soldiers began firing above the trio, and medical helicopter started to fly higher to get out of range. The rage monster growled, and then, incredibly gently, he lifted Steve up to the helicopter's door, depositing him inside with surprising tenderness. The med team swarmed around Steve and Tony started panicking.

"He's gotta be okay!" he shouted as the door started closing, as if his insistence would change anything. "He has to be! We need him!"

Thor put his hand on Tony's shoulder.

"He-he…he's so strong. He will be fine…he must be," the prince said, a tear spilling from his eye.

The team loaded Natasha into the second helicopter, leaving the remaining team members to get onto the Helicarrier. Tony sat in silent shock. The genius was in shutdown mode, and for once had nothing to say. He'd just watched the Black Widow scream and pass out, then he watched his Captain go down, maybe forever. He sat alone on the bench. Natasha's seat was empty, as was Clint's, who was with her. Steve's seat was deserted and Bruce was still recovering from being the Other Guy. Thor stood at the end of the bay.

"Tina," Thor said into the phone, "Go to the headquarters of SHIELD, right now. The Captain is injured."

Tony could hear Tina's voice float across the silent hall.

"Is he going to be okay? Or is this that thing where someone has to call me if he gets a tiny scratch because I'm his emergency contact? God, Thor. Please, please. Is he going to make it?" her voice broke and she sounded like she was about to sob.

Thor looked at the ground, the picture of dejection.

"I don't know."

* * *

**Oh noes! What if Steve doesn't make it? Has he fought his last fight? Will he get to meet his kids? Did my readers cry?**

**This took FOREVER to write. Action kills me...let me know if it reads okay. **

**Reviews, please!**


	12. Visits

"Just take deep breaths, sweetheart. You _will_ be okay. He _is _going to be fine," Happy nervously looked over at Tina as he maneuvered the car through the busy street to SHIELD headquarters.

"I-I-I, he-he," she sucked in a breath, "Happy, what if-if, he-he, I _can't_," Tina started sobbing uncontrollably. "I can't do this alone," she gestured to her pregnant belly. "I need him, I-I…"

"Tina, breathe, please. Relax. He's going to make it. You're not alone. No matter what happens, you are not alone. You know that."

The car pulled up to the front of the building. Tina pushed frantically on the door but it was still locked. Happy put his hand on her arm.

"Be strong for him, if you can't for yourself," he said gently.

Tina squeezed his hand gratefully. She waddled as fast as possible toward the building, roughly swiping away the last tears. Happy's first piece of advice had reminded her of Natasha's training- deep, slow breaths. Thinking of Natasha helped, and Tina sincerely hoped that they weren't debriefing her or some other bull. She wanted her best friend with her. No one could slap sense into her like Natasha could. Tina swiped her high-clearance access card for each door, glaring at any agent who looked as if they wanted to question her. Thankfully, they were mostly men, and not about to argue with a furiously angry/terrified/half-crying pregnant woman. Tina's mind was far from the whitewashed hallways and severe steel of the SHIELD compound. Concentrating only on walking to the next door and the movements of her babies, she let her mind drift back in memory.

…

Tina ran through the halls, panicking. When some SHIELD agent had called and told her that Steve had been injured and was in the hospital division, her mind couldn't help but assume the worst. _Ohmygodohmygod. Please don't die, Steve. _ She finally skidded through the last hall, and stopped. They hadn't even told her his room number. _Where could he be?_ In the room beside her, she heard a voice she didn't recognize.

"Time of death, three twenty-seven-"

She gasped and slumped to the floor, struggling to breathe. _That couldn't be his room. It was NOT him. I need to find him. _Fighting to stand, Tina stumbled forward to stand by another door, where she heard the boisterous laughter of several people.

"Yeah whatever," one man laughed.

"Don't whatever me moron, I saved your butt."

"Did not."

"Yeah, he's right. You didn't save him, I did," a woman added.

"The first time?"

"Hey, shut it. Let's agree that you're all dumb. And we all know that _I'm_ the real hero of the group."

Tina gasped. She recognized that voice.

"Don't rub it in Spangles, we're not all perfect," Tony sighed.

As he opened the door Tina fell into him from where she was leaning. She pushed past him and searched for Steve, who was standing next to the bed with a bandage on his arm, but otherwise perfect.

"You!" she growled, stalking forward, with every intent to punch him in the face.

Steve's eyes widened and he seemed to guess this, because he smiled her favorite schoolboy grin and opened his arms for a hug.

"Well you're a sight for sore eyes! Thank goodness you're here, these guys are making me nuts, they're-"

Tina grabbed his collar and pulled him to her eye level.

"Never. Do. That. Again," she snarled. "I got a call from a random agent who told me that you were injured and in the hospital. I got NO other information. Zip! Nada! I thought you were DYI NG or something! Never again!"

Thor couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the mighty Captain America being threatened (successfully) by a tiny blonde girl.

"It's protocol," Steve explained hastily, "they have to inform my emergency contact if I check in to the medics. I had a lil spot on my arm, I-just-uh," he flailed under her laser-like glare.

"Next time, YOU call me then," she said, her expression softening a little. "If you can't call me I'll know it's bad. Okay?" Tina released her grip on his t-shirt and smoothed the wrinkles out, blinking quickly to hide the tears of relief that were threatening to make an appearance.

"Yes, ma'am. I didn't realize they'd be so vague when they talked to you," Steve pulled her chin up and looked her in the eyes. "Sorry," he said with a slight smile.

"Alright," Tina conceded, knees still a bit weak.

"I promise, I'm never gonna leave you. I'll always make it back, I promise."

The door slammed open as Tony kicked it, carrying several trays of food.

"Capsicle, are you planning to _share_ this?" he asked in disbelief, plopping the food down.

"Nope," Steve said joyfully, diving into a double cheeseburger.

"Consider revising that plan, Cap," Clint chucked through a mouthful of fries. Steve swiped the box away, but turned to see Thor polishing off a second piece of pizza guiltlessly and Natasha nibbling a cinnamon bun. Tony rolled his eyes, delicately snacking on Steve's popcorn.

"You guys are the worst," Steve sighed in defeat, snuggling Tina onto his lap.

She let her head rest against his chest and closed her eyes.

…

Tina knew that something was really, really wrong. Steve realized how much it had scared her, not knowing how hurt he was. He didn't call because he couldn't. But how bad was it? He was Captain America after all; he could pull through anything, right? _Right_, Tina told herself. _Please, please be right._

"Captain Steve Rogers?" she asked at the small desk.

The agent gave her a sarcastically sympathetic smile.

"He's still in the operating room," he said in a nasal voice.

"Oper- wait! No, they can't do that, he can't-" she stuttered. "They can't! Where's everyone else? The rest of the team?"

"Classified," he replied with a mockingly polite tone.

Tina narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to reply, but she heard the (unfortunately) all-too-familiar sound of Tony walking in his suit.

"Tony! What happened? He can't be in the OR, what are they doing with him in there?!"

"OR? Oh yeah. It's bigger in there, and secluded from the rest of the hospital. Better than the intensive care unit for him. They're not doing surgery, that'd be crazy," Tony explained.

"Walk and talk, let's go," she said impatiently, pushing his hand away.

"He- Tina. Tina, stop. Listen, please."

"No. Take me now," she commanded, voice shaking a little.

Tony bit his lip but led her forward, finally stopping at a door. Tina knocked it open without thinking twice.

Steve lay in the bed which, surprisingly, was big enough for him. There were monitors everywhere, beeping and flashing their little screens. Thor stood from the chair beside him as she entered the room. Tina slowly stepped forward, examining him. Although the white sheet covered most of his body, his face still had some serious bruises and cuts. She didn't want to think about how they had looked when he'd gotten them. The heart monitor attached to him reported a slow but steady heartbeat. Tina took his left hand, which appeared to be uninjured, and stroked it gently with her thumb.

"Why-" her voice cracked, "why is he asleep? He almost never sleeps in the hospital."

The room's silence was choking.

"It is a miracle that he is alive," Thor said slowly, measuring each word. "A piece of rubble this size," he clenched a fist, "went all the way through him, just above the hip. That's almost healed now."

"So his body's just worn out from blood loss?" Tina hoped aloud, sitting down.

"That's true," Thor answered, resting a large hand on her shoulder.

She sensed his evasion and it scared her.

"But?" she asked. Her voice shook. "But?"

"He hit his head, Tina. Hard. His skull was fractured into a hundred pieces."

Tina held Steve's hand tighter.

"So? What, Tony? Spit it out!"

"He's in a coma…we don't know how long it will last, when he'll wake up. We don't know if he'll wake up at all."

Tina's eyes rolled back into her head and her vision blacked out. _Steve, you promised._

* * *

**Hi readers. I'd like to apologize for disappearing on you all like that. The last month has been rough for me. My musical got crazy and the day it ended I got into a car accident. No worries, I'm okay! I just had so much school to make up and so many other things on my mind. Gotta hate RL sometimes, huh? Assuming no other cosmic intervention, updates will be once a week at minimum like before. More reviews=faster chapters.**

**Ahem. Anyway. Soooo, yet another cliffie! I think I'm developing a real reliance on them...I'll try to break that habit!**

**Review please, thank you very much!**


	13. Come Home

She woke up to Tony yelling in her face, frantically shaking her shoulders as Thor held her up.

"Small stuff!"

"Shut up, I'm fine," she growled, still disoriented.

Thor helped her back into her chair, and the last minute came back to her again. _Steve. In a coma. Not waking up. _Tina paled.

"Where's Natasha?" she asked weakly.

Tony shifted his weight uncomfortably and looked deliberately in the other direction. Thor rolled his eyes at his teammate's immaturity and answered in his calmingly deep voice.

"Her arm was broken," he said, "and the bone punctured the skin. She's supposed to be getting out of surgery soon. Clint will come tell us when she's done."

Tina nodded numbly. She took his hand in hers, cradling it against her chest.

"Okay," she mumbled. _No Steve, no best friend, no Doctor Bruce. Alright._

"Do you want us to stay?" Thor asked gently, resting his palm on the small of her back.

"I'm okay," she said, doing her best to fake a smile.

It clearly wasn't convincing. Tony and Thor stood, but the billionaire gave her a little nod on the way out.

"We'll check in with you in a few, okay?" Tony shut the door behind him.

Tina sighed.

"Just you and me now, huh?" Steve, as she had expected, remained silent. "Well, the whole family's here," she said, placing his hand on her belly. "So you can wake up any time now." She listened with her eyes closed to his heart monitor beeping consistently. "I'm not crying or anything, just so you know. I'm okay. I'm really mad though. If you take too long I might punch you out the minute you wake up. Well…not really." She sighed again. "I'll be too happy to see your blue eyes. But you have a deadline based-" Tina's eyes flew open as the babies kicked in unison, right against where Steve's hand was pressed. "Yeah based on that. I'm eighteen weeks along, you don't have that much time. Seriously, hon." She waited a little longer, giving him time to respond in his mind, if he could. "I love you. And I know you love me too. So if you can hear me…just know that um, well. I love you and I want you to wake up please. Please," her voice broke a little on the last word but she swallowed and continued talking to him. "I'm not gonna leave you alone here or anything. Don't worry, just get better. I'll be here. Please just be okay. You promised me you would…and we still have a date for Friday."

The door opened again and Clint shuffled in looking wearied and stressed. His eyes landed on Steve, who was still motionless but for the slight rise and fall of his chest. Clint's face fell.

"We'd both be dead if not for him. He blocked us with his shield. He gave up his own protection for us," he murmured.

A flicker of a smile played across Tina's lips while a few tears leaked from her emerald green eyes.

"That's Steve," she whispered, stroking the side of his face with a fingertip.

"Where's everyone else?" he asked.

Tina shrugged.

"How's Nat?"

"She's fine, everything's good. The techniques the med team used will probably end up minimizing any scarring, too." Clint chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "She's gonna be pissed as a bat out of hell when she finds out she's on rest for the next three months."

"Well, she and Steve can go crazy with me then," Tina murmured, giving Steve's hand another light squeeze.

"Tina?" Tony stepped into the room, still wearing his Iron Man suit, "Why don't you come down to the caf with us? Clint, you too. Come on." He motioned impatiently towards the door.

Tina cast a concerned look at her husband, but Clint put his arm around her shoulders.

"He's a big boy. Steve can handle himself for a few minutes while you get some lunch."

"Why are you still wearing that thing?" Tina asked, changing the topic.

Tony's cheeks flushed just a little.

"It's my damn suit, I'll do what I want with it," he said arrogantly, but embarrassment colored his tone.

Tina raised her eyebrows. There were a few moments of silence until Tony finally broke it.

"I thought it would be really funny to go commando in here…so, um, and I didn't count on being in the hospital and-"

The tension in the room evaporated as Tina and Clint laughed themselves silly.

"Now THAT'S a good story," Clint giggled, "Come on, let's go tell everyone."

He pulled on Tina's arm,

"I think I'll just wait a few more minutes," she hedged, "But if there's pizza, I'd love a slice."

"Okay," Tony frowned but left with Clint.

Tina smoothed Steve's hair back and kissed his forehead after the door had closed.

"I won't go anywhere," she whispered, "I promise."

…

Cold. Freezing cold ripping at him. Biting his face, his hands, his feet. And throbbing pain. But was that just from cold? Above his hipbone- agony. A sense of wrongness, of something very, very bad. More than cold. Steve could feel himself losing blood, far too much blood to be okay. And darkness. No light no sun no stars no candle no flashlight. He tried to take a breath, but realized his lungs were full of water. _Am I dead?_ Steve tried to relax for a moment, floating in the freezing cold painful place. He couldn't. _Too much pain. How did I get here?_ Steve wracked his brains but couldn't seem to remember anything. _Who am I?_ This question bothered him significantly more than the others had. _Steve,_ he thought with relief at last, _Captain Steve Rogers. That's me. _Something else tugged at the corners of his consciousness. Steve began to register a bit more light through his closed eyes, and the pleasant numbness which had begun to overcome him was fading fast. He felt his body thrown onto a hard surface. _Put me back!_ He was indignant. _It was better there, easier to let go._ Steve's brain sluggishly decided that the voice he heard speaking was familiar. _Hmm…_he wondered unconcernedly, _I wonder who it is._

"Clear," the voice said in a panicky tone.

He was slightly intrigued, but not for long. The wonderful, soft, blackness was slowly enveloping him again. _No more of this agony, of the cold, of my lungs burning. No more. _Steve turned to it but something seemed to hold him back. A thought of something sat just out of reach; he couldn't place it. After a moment of wrestling with himself, it struck.

Tina.

A tiny girl with golden blonde curls and bright green eyes. The way she giggled all the time. The frown of concentration when she was drawing and how sometimes her left foot tapped when she was thinking. His Tina. _My beautiful girl, my lovely wife, mother of my-_Steve started to panic as the realization hit. _Kids! I'm gonna have kids, I gotta get back to them and her. _A chain of memories went through his brain: feeling his child move through her skin, the beautiful roundness of her body, calling the babies 'champ' and 'doll'. The blackness still crept forward, but it had taken on a menacing look now that Steve had a reason to evade it.

"Dammit, Steve," the voice growled, "Goddamn you."

Steve felt mildly annoyed. _Does this guy realize I'm about to lose my whole family? _

Another unbidden image came to mind- the children he'd imagined. A small boy with bright blue eyes and a big smile, a baby girl with perfect golden curls. Holding both of them; his angel, his love. Tina. Steve gasped.

The air burned on the way down and the blackness faded, but it was soon replaced by a different kind of darkness. Like sleep, Steve knew that this cloud was benevolent. He relaxed into it. _Take me home. I made a promise._

...

Steve blinked his eyes open slowly. The first thing he registered was white- lots of it. White ceiling, white floors. And then he registered quiet. Something next to him was beeping softly, but aside from that, the room was silent. The area above his right hip was sore, but other than that he felt fine. His breath quickened as he realized he had lived this before. When he woke up from being frozen…

Steve leaped out of the bed, looking around frantically for a door. _Howlonghowlonghowlonghowlonghowlonghowlong_

The soldier burst through the door, anxious for anything that would tell him how long he'd been asleep. _Please, please,_ he begged._ Leave me my Tina. Please don't take her, time. _Steve crashed through the halls, dodging nurses, doctors, and agents who he knew would all lie if they were told to. He searched for a familiar face and found none. Steve started to truly panic. _I'm alone again. I'm totally alone and Tina lived her life without me. My babies are grown up and never knew me oh god maybe its even later and they're dead too oh god oh god the whole team is gone and I'm alone. I left Tina all alone when I promised I would be there for her. _

"What time is it? What day is it?" Steve frantically begged an elderly clerk who stood at a small desk.

The man chuckled and responded in a nasally voice.

"It's been a while."

Steve's hands shook and he struggled to keep from breaking down. His breathing was ragged.

"I had a date," he whispered to himself.

"Captain?" down the hallway stood an astounded Thor.

Steve ran over to him, hurdling over the desk as he did so.

"Thor, oh thank god, what's the date? How long did I miss? You don't look any different!"

Thor distractedly, looking at something behind Steve.

"I'm an Asgardian…it takes a very long time for me to show age."

Steve's eyes widened in fear again.

"What's the date Thor? Tell me!" He shook the god's shoulders (quite a feat) in frustration.

"I'm not sure, I don't count my days in the same manner that humans do."

"Who's alive? Is Tina still alive?! Is she here!? Thor, tell me!"

Suddenly, a small hand was on his arm. In the fraction of a second that Steve studied it, he knew that it was hers. He knew the curve of her wrist and the shape of her fingernails.

"Steve, it's okay," she murmured.

He spun and examined Tina with a frenzied look in his eyes. His body relaxed instantly. She looked almost the same as the day he'd left, except that her belly stuck out a little further. The relief hit him like a wall. Steve pulled her close and buried his face in her hair, fighting to hold back tears.

"Tina, I thought that-that I missed, that I got lost again, and-and-and out of time," he choked, "Tina, I love you."

"I love you too, Steve. And you didn't miss our date for last Friday…you just slept through it. It's September 30th. You were asleep for a little over a week. I'm twenty weeks pregnant, so you'll hopefully be seeing our kids in four months. It's okay," she said again, holding him close. She tried to rub the remaining tension out of his wide shoulders. She felt his hands shaking as one held her close to him, while the other rested on her abdomen. Tina buried her face in his chest. Her relief-freakout could wait.

"Let's go home," he finally said huskily, "I don't want to spend another minute in this damn hospital. I'm ready to sleep in my own bed next to my girl."

…

Bedtime and waking up in the morning were possibly Steve's favorite times of day. He liked how Tina wore his oversize t-shirts to bed. He liked helping brush out her hair and how she cuddled up against him. It was peaceful, quiet time with just the two of them, and he loved every minute. However, he'd never been quite this relieved to get in bed. Tina snuggled up against him and they both sat up to watch the city through the huge window-wall.

"You saved me, you know," he commented in an offhand tone.

Tina looked up, confused. "I got hit, and I hit the frozen river. While I was underwater, I was so disoriented; I didn't even know who I was at first. I felt…well…a way out, I guess. But I wasn't sure whether or not I should go…it hurt here, but I felt this vague reason that maybe I should consider staying. And then I remembered you," Steve planted a kiss on her hairline, "and I fought it."

"I'll have you know, I only had three hysterical breakdowns," Tina said, almost proudly. "And they only threatened to sedate me twice."

Steve grimaced.

"I did save Nat and Clint," he offered in defense, "According to Clint, they both would've died, so hey, I did do something good."

"I know you did. You big dumb hero, you."

They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the city lights from their dark bedroom.

"I like James," Steve said suddenly, "for a boy."

Tina smiled.

"Mm. James is sophisticated and old-fashioned. It's business and adorable at the same time. And he could be Jimmy for short…I like it. I like it a lot."

"I thought for sure we'd end up arguing about that," he chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure I'm on the same page with you about this one," Tina said softly, "James as in James Buchanan Barnes? As in Bucky Barnes?"

Steve was quiet for a moment.

"Yeah. As in him." There was a pause while Steve seemed to search for words. "He doesn't have any surviving family," Steve said with a touch of urgency, "Someone should remember him."

Tina nodded.

"James it is. What about girl names?" she asked, "One might be a little lady! Thor and Clint have money on it."

"Clint having money on something probably means it won't happen," Steve laughed, "But hey, its possible."

"How about Margaret?" Tina suggested.

Steve's brow furrowed.

"As in Peggy? Are we going with all throwback names?"

She shrugged.

"She's a part of your past. And I like the name. It's cute."

"Let's cross this bridge when we get there, kay?"

"Oh come on, you never wanna talk about names! Please? How about a middle name for James?"

"Oh I don't know…we could ask the team in the morning?"

"No way. Tony won't shut up about naming the kid after himself. Or Antonia if it's a girl…I don't need to hear about any Tony the Seconds while I eat breakfast."

"We could call him Champ," Steve giggled, "James Champ Rogers."

"No," Tina glowered, "Absolutely not. How about Steven?"

"Isn't that egotistical? Naming him after myself?"

"Nah, parents do it all the time. James Steven Rogers. Oh, honey I like it."

"It is kind of nice," Steve admitted grudgingly.

Tina sighed and snuggled closer to him. Steve smiled down at her, then returned to watching the lights for a while longer.

"Tina, I'm really sorry about what happened on the mission…I should have been more aware of the situation and found a better way to protect myself and my team."

Steve paused, but she didn't respond, so he continued. "If something really bad had happened, and I missed the babies being born or anything, I never would have forgiven myself. I'm really sorry I made you worry. I promised that we were in this together, and I endangered that promise on the mission…I'm sorry. I love you, and I never want to do anything to hurt you. Okay?"

Silence greeted him and Steve looked down, a little concerned. A curl fluttered in front of Tina's mouth as she breathed evenly, her eyelids shut in sleep. Steve rolled his eyes. "Thanks for listening," he chuckled.

"In my opinion," JARVIS opined rather suddenly, making Steve jump, "that was a very touching little speech. I'd cry, but that would fry my ciruits."

"Oh, well-uh, thanks then, JARVIS," Steve said slightly uncomfortably.

"Besides, I don't actually have a physical body. But I can play that video for her in the morning if you'd like."

"Sure. Make her cry right into her Cheerios," the soldier joked.

JARVIS didn't pick up on the humor.

"Very well, sir. Whatever it takes."

Steve couldn't help but laugh at the AI's lack of understanding sometimes. He made a mental note to stop JARVIS if it decided to do anything extreme...like play clips of The Notebook if his little speech didn't make her cry. _So smart, but so dumb, _he thought with an internal giggle. The captain laid back and closed his eyes. It was good to finally be home.

* * *

**Does a super long chapter get me forgiven? I think so ;)oO**

**You can take a deep breath now, ladies and gents. The fluff has returned! Probably for good...except towards the end... O.o**

**Review, please!**


	14. Waiting Game

Steve woke up gasping for breath. He blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the dream of drowning. He shook his head a little. _I'm home. It's over. I'm safe at home with Tina. It's okay_, he told himself, repeating the phrases Tina usually said. Goosebumps appeared all over his skin, which felt as cold as if he really had been under the frozen river again. His heart still raced with fear, but he didn't want to wake Tina up. She was so tired lately…the twins really seemed to take it out of her. _Although_, he thought, _it won't be all that much longer…she's already five and a half months along._ Thinking about the babies helped, but Steve couldn't suppress a shiver. He felt a small hand on his left bicep.

"Steve?" she mumbled groggily, "you okay?"

He nodded, swallowing.

"Mhm. Yeah," he lied, consciously trying to lower his rapid heart rate.

Tina lifted herself with effort, moving her hand to Steve's chest. He took a long, slow breath, hoping she wouldn't notice his slowly receding panic.

"You had that dream again, didn't you?" she said softly, brows furrowing with concern as she felt his too-fast heartbeat.

Steve bit his lip and nodded. He rolled onto his side and cuddled her close as their babies would allow.

"I didn't want to wake you up," he admitted.

She left her palm over his chest and cupped his face with her other hand.

"I wouldn't have minded," she murmured.

Champ, Steve's nickname for the larger baby on the right side, joined the conversation with a powerful shove.

"I think Champ would have minded," Steve said with half a smile. "What about you, Doll?" he rubbed the left side of Tina's belly, hoping to get an answer from the smaller baby. Evidently, Doll wasn't much in the mood to play, because the child didn't deign to respond.

"She agrees with me," Tina said, looking pleased that the fear seemed to be leaving Steve's face, and the tension from his body.

"It'll be really awkward if Doll ends up being a boy," Steve mused, "Or if they're both girls."

"Like you said, Champ could be a champion ballerina," Tina giggled.

Steve chuckled softly, burying his head in Tina's tangled curls. She relaxed as he fell asleep again, smiling as his heart slowed to match hers.

…

Tina stood alone in the first nursery. The rest of the team was in the second one, painting. And Tina was royally pissed that she wasn't allowed to help. "No paint fumes," Bruce chastised her. To say that Tina was fuming about it was extremely accurate. The room was simple at the moment. The back wall was made up of windows, much like hers and Steve's, and the right side led to a connecting bathroom that the other nursery shared. This room, at Natasha's suggestion, was a creamy shade of spring green. The trim was white, and the floors a sandy color of wood. Other than that, it was still empty. The other room was a shade of blue that reminded Tina of Steve's eyes. She'd immediately fallen in love with the color, and Pepper assured her that a baby girl could go in a blue room- assuming there were also purple decorations. Pepper had done her planning, and everything was picked out for a boy or a girl. Girl decorations for the green room, boy decorations for the green room. Boy decorations for the blue room, girl decorations for the blue room. The list was exhaustive and maniacally detailed, to the point of drawn out maps of where everything would go. Pepper had already planned for JARVIS to alert an interior decoration crew when Tina went into labor, although she didn't tell the expecting couple that. She wanted it to be a surprise when they came home to perfectly furnished rooms.

"Are you guys done yet?" Tina called through the open bathroom.

"Are you impatient yet?" Tony yelled back, "Answer's yes, if you were wondering!"

Tina growled, placing her hands on the small of her back to try to alleviate the weight of her pregnancy.

"Almost, Tina," Bruce laughed in answer.

She turned to leave the room in frustration, but jumped suddenly. Natasha was standing less than two inches behind her.

"Natasha! Jeez! You can't sneak up on me like that!" Tina gasped, "Bruce said you weren't allowed to!"

The assassin rolled her eyes.

"I didn't sneak. I was just standing here," she sighed, putting one hand on her hip. The other arm was in an inconspicuous, but still visible black cast. Clint hovered protectively behind her- and it was clearly getting on her nerves.

"Well, I'm going to make sandwiches, and if you scare me like that again I will sic Steve on you," Tina hissed.

Natasha grimaced. An angry Steve was one of the few people in the tower she actually would run from. Aside from an angry Hulk, of course. While he'd never hit her, he would definitely play Fury and get her some awful detail to work. Maybe he'd report that she wasn't fit for active duty for another year. She shuddered. _I don't know if even messing with Tina would make him that brutal…ugh. A desk job._

Clint brushed her hair back.

"You need an outlet," he murmured.

She swiped his hand away.

"I'm fine," she grumbled, stepping forward.

"You're losing it. You just picked your vulnerable best friend to scare, you're not talking to me, and you're being incredibly rude to almost everyone else." Natasha glared, but Clint stood his ground. "I'm not saying you need to start writing love poetry, but you need to concentrate your energy elsewhere."

She bowed her head.

"Yeah?"

Clint smelled victory and stepped toward her again, opening his arms.

"Yeah," he answered.

She took a baby step forward and he held her close, whispering in her ear.

"Think about all the fun stuff you can work on."

"Clint, I don't _have _anything to work on. My job is my life," she said dejectedly.

"We can come up with something," he decided.

"Like what, singing?" she snorted, "Not a chance."

Clint sighed.

"This won't work if you decide to be difficult."

"I want what I do to be useful in some way. Like I usually am. Stuff only I can do. Or that I can do best."

"You could be emotion patrol," Clint suggested with a sly smile, "Nobody keeps Rollercoaster Tina under wraps as well as you and Steve do."

Natasha looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Nah. That's barely a part-time occupation. I need sometime more time consuming."

Clint laughed and took her hand, leading her from the room.

"I'll think on it."

…

Steve strolled into his bedroom whistling merrily.

"Tina? Babe there's-"

He stopped suddenly, hearing a muffled sobbing. "Tina? Honey?"

She stood in the middle of the room which had clothing and various belongings scattered around it, glancing around in panic. Steve put his arm around her waist.

"Tina?"

"Th-there's stuff e-everywhere," she cried, "an-an-and it's a mess but I'm so t-t-tired and I just w-w-wanna sleep."

Steve's brow crinkled in confusion and his eyes widened.

"Can't we just clean up in the morning?" he asked in confusion.

"No! It's a mess! I was looking for something and…" her anger trailed off and tears started falling again, "and I c-couldn't find it and I can't s-s-sleep when it's messy and I'm…" she dissolved into sobbing again, covering her eyes with her hands.

Steve had no idea what to do. He bit the inside of his lip, staring at his completely hysterical wife in confusion. He had no thoughts of what could he could possibly do to make her illogical breakdown better, so he decided to keep it simple. He wrapped her in his arms, holding her close and rubbing her back.

"Okay, baby, it's okay," he murmured in her ear. "I know you're tired. Would you rather clean up now or just go to bed and clean it later?"

"Now," she mumbled, "I can't sleep when it's messy in here, it bothers me."

"Alright. You go get ready for bed, I'll start tidying up, okay?"

She nodded and walked across the room, shutting the bathroom door behind herself. Steve became a whirlwind of cleanliness, flying around the room like a dervish. He folded shirts and put them away at top speed. When Tina opened the door, the room looked as perfect as it usually did, with Steve panting slightly in the center of it. A few more tears slipped out of her emerald green eyes.

"You, oh Steve, thank you, I…"

Steve hugged her again and walked her over to their bed.

"No problem, hon. Don't cry anymore, it's okay now. Just go to sleep, alright?"

He pulled the covers under her chin, just the way she liked.

"I'm a crazy person, Steve," she mumbled, "I'm sorry. I'm totally crazy."

Steve smirked a little, pushing her hair out of her face.

"I'm crazy about you," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you," Tina sighed.

"I love you too. Now close your eyes…get some rest."

Steve waited until she was deeply asleep to laugh softly to himself. _There are definitely things about this I will not miss._ As if responding to his thought, Champ gave him an indignant prod. _And things I definitely will,_ he amended.

"I look forward to seeing you in person," he whispered to his children.

He was rewarded with a tiny nudge from Doll. Steve grinned. "Aw thanks, sweetie," he delighted in the rare occurrence. "I love you too."


	15. Baby Shower

Steve only giggled a little as he helped Tina into a sweater dress. She sighed, but shared his opinion.

"It looks like you swallowed a beach ball," he chuckled, giving the peak of her belly a pat.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," she remarked dryly.

"That's Mr. Captain Obvious to you. And wasn't it you who told Tony he wasn't allowed to say that?"

"He's not," Tina said primly, "But I am."

Tina smoothed out the dress and walked toward the living room.

"I kind of wish that Mom and Dad weren't coming today," she mumbled, "I could be in my sweatpants right now."

"I kind of wish Clint hadn't started me worrying that your Dad knows who I really am," Steve replied in an equally low voice.

"Oh, stop it," she laughed, "I dated you forever and didn't guess!"

Steve took her hand and continued leading her down the hall.

"You're not a very good guesser though, love," he pointed out, "For instance…"

He and Tina stepped through the door to the living room to balloons, decorations, and a small group of people.

"SURPRISE!"

Tina's eyes widened and she turned to Steve in shock.

"Is this- I didn't- did you-?"

He smiled and shook his head, pointing to an extremely pleased-looking Pepper. Tina grinned gratefully at her friend, who waved back happily.

"Hi, sweetie," Tina's dad said as he gave her a gentle hug.

"Dad! Hi! Where's Mom?" she asked, looking around.

"Not feeling well, Chrissy. Having one of her bad days," he explained.

"Nice to see you, Jeff," Steve grinned, giving his father-in-law a (gentle) slap on the back and a handshake.

"You too, bud!"

"Tina, come on!" Pepper encouraged her, "It's your baby shower and people have cute little things to give you! Come sit in the adorable rocking chair I got you and open presents. Steve, you're in charge of putting all the gifts on the table. Clint's going to help with trash, aren't you? Of course you are, get over here," she growled, grabbing the assassin's ear as he attempted to evade her.

With a slightly wearied glance at her husband, Tina complied, taking her seat in the chair, which to her delight, she found to be extremely comfortable. Pepper cheerfully frog-marched Tony forward.

"Open ours first," she suggested, offering Tina two identical boxes, one wrapped in shiny gold with a red bow, the other in shiny red with a gold bow.

"It looks like Christmas," Jeff was heard to remark softly.

Tony's look immediately turned scathing, but Pepper's firm grip on his elbow prevented him from turning and making a snide comment. Tina handed one box to Steve, and they opened them together. In each box was a set of baby monitors. Very high-tech baby monitors. Each was connected to JARVIS's interface and had a small screen to display what JARVIS determined was the best camera angle to show the baby.

"Instead of hearing the constant whir of a baby's white noise fan," Tony explained, "the monitor will beep softly when the baby cries, and if the cry continues for more than ten seconds, you'll hear it play through the speaker. These bad boys also can remotely, and accurately, determine if the little chunk's vital signs are normal. That's the little heart symbol. It'll flash if something's wrong, whether the issue is breathing, heart rate, or even if the kid's running a fever. It's a babysitter in a box," Tony concluded proudly.

"One set is gold, one is red. We can get the monitors engraved with each baby's name once Tony calibrates their monitor to them, specifically," Pepper added.

"Thanks so much you guys," Tina pulled them both to her level to embrace them.

"This is really awesome, Tony. I'm guessing it was your idea, Pepper?" Steve said, weighing one in his hand.

She nodded with a grin and pulled her proud inventor aside as Clint dutifully removed the wrapping paper from Tina's lap with a fearful look at Pepper.

"We also come bearing gifts for the babes!" Thor announced, stepping forward with two different boxes.

"We both have heard a lot about how little sleep new parents get," Jane explained softly, "and thought that these could help your little ones catch some z's."

Steve took the boxes, handing one to his wife. He unwrapped a beautifully carved wooden box, made of a dark wood and inlaid with gold and silver, swirled into an ornate design. He opened it to find soft, lovely music floating out of a huge, sparkling emerald, which seemed to glow from within. The other box was just as perfect, the only difference being the gem, which was a sapphire.

"These are really beautiful. Thank you," a slightly speechless Steve said.

Thor grinned proudly.

"I'm glad you like them."

Jeff stared at the obviously magical boxes in wonder. He knew who Thor was, but still, being in the same room with him was a little nerve-wracking.

"Wanna open ours?" Clint asked, looking over at Natasha.

"I swear Clint, if there's a weapon in this box," Steve threatened.

"Hey, I'm not stupid. Weapons and babies don't go together, I get it," the archer defended himself.

Natasha rolled her eyes, but handed Tina the large box

"This is actually mostly Clint's idea. I was all for Russian vodka and a Widow's Bite bracelet," she chuckled.

"So it's American beer and arrows?" Tina joked.

"If only," Clint sighed mockingly.

Tina opened the box to find a bunch of soft plush toys. She smiled, looking closer, and laughed as she realized what they were. A squishy replica of Mjolnir, a fluffy green fist. An arc reactor that glowed through the fabric when she squeezed it. A squashy spider and a velvety arrow. Even a plushy version of Steve's shield was included.

"These are adorable!" she cooed, lifting each out and showing it to her friends.

"I needed an outlet," Natasha explained, "And the Tina-doll I made kind of gave Clint the idea for these."

"They're fun," Steve agreed, throwing the little shield over to Thor, who caught it with a smile.

Suspicion clouded Jeff's face for just a second, but it was long enough for Steve to take notice. He couldn't help the bit of color that came to his cheeks in response.

"I've never been to a baby shower before," Bruce said, stepping forward. "I looked up gifts to get, but you guys already have all the stuff you really need. And I'm not really creative, but I figured this would work."

Steve opened up the box and grinned. In it was a stack of books, old and new. His childhood and Tina's. Dr. Seuss, Mother Goose, the works.

"Oh! I love this one!" Tina grabbed The Foot Book out.

Jeff laughed.

"You made me read that to you every night for so long," he reminisced. "I probably still have it memorized…big foot, small foot, feet, feet, feet," he chuckled.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," Steve read the title, "this looks awful big to be a kid's book."

Bruce grinned somewhat guiltily.

"It's a classic," he offered, "and it's basically required reading as far as I'm concerned. When they're old enough I'll read it to them."

Tina sighed.

"I cried really hard on my twelfth birthday," she said without explanation.

Steve stared at her in confusion, but Bruce nodded sympathetically.

"Letter never came, huh? I was older than that when this came out, but I can imagine the disappointment."

"Well," Jeff said, steering the conversation out of nerd-dom, "I don't have anything fancy. But, here." He gruffly handed a package over to Steve, who continued staring in confusion at Bruce and Tina as he opened it.

Inside were two baby albums, with empty slots for pictures and space to write.

"Dad, these are perfect," Steve said softly, tracing the cover.

Tina sniffled a little.

"I love them," she declared.

"Are you crying?" Clint asked excitedly, getting in her face. His expression fell as he observed her dry eyes. "Damn!"

Natasha grinned somewhat evilly as she took twenty dollars from him.

"Clint, you have the absolute worst luck in the world," Tony commented. "If we ever go to a horserace, I'm going to bet my life savings on the horse you pick to lose."

"Come on, everyone, dinner's in the kitchen," Pepper announced, poking her head back into the living room. The group filed out except for Steve and Jeff who were stacking presents on the table.

"Captain America missing again, huh?" Jeff observed.

"Yup," Steve responded a little awkwardly, "he's not here."

"World Peace Tour?" Jeff asked skeptically.

"Nah," the soldier answered, demonstrating again his utter inability to lie to his friends. "He's…well. He's where he belongs right now."

"Which is where?"

Steve exhaled, weighing his options mentally.

"In my closet."

Jeff's eyes widened and Steve gathered the gifts in his arms. He jerked his head towards his room as if to say 'come on'. As Steve set the presents on his bed, Jeff lightly stepped into the room, looking around. The captain went over to the small closet where he kept his uniform and shield and opened it.

"There he is," Steve said.

Jeff stared at it for a moment, looking a little star-struck.

"But, but-you," he stammered, appearing to be shocked that he had been right all along.

"I'm not him. Not right now. I say, don't take work home with you, ya know?" Steve explained. "I'm Steve. I'm only Captain America when I've got the uniform on. Like most of us…when Clint wakes up in the morning, he's Clint. He puts on a suit and becomes Hawkeye. I'm Steve Rogers until I pick up the shield. The only guy who's not like that is Thor," he chuckled, "When he wakes up, he's Thor. He puts on jeans and a t-shirt and becomes Donald Blake. But only when he has to. Like all of us, he prefers to be who he really is."

"Wow," Jeff said quietly, still staring in wonder at the shield. He reached a tentative finger towards it, but drew it back quickly.

"No, you can hold it if you want," Steve offered, picking it up and holding it out.

Tina's father grinned like a child and took the shield, grunting under its weight.

"Jeez," he huffed, "this is heavy!"

Steve's brow furrowed as he took it back and put it in the case again.

"Really? It feels light as a feather to me," he noted.

"You're a superhero," Jeff pointed out.

Steve nodded, conceding his point.

"Fair enough," the soldier agreed.

The two men walked out towards the dining room.

"Sorry I didn't tell you," Steve said. "It's just…the less people who know, the better. And…well…I wanted you to know Steve. Not Cap."

Jeff clapped a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"I get it. If you tell everyone your secret identity it's not really a secret anymore," he said sympathetically.

Steve nodded in agreement.

"Unless you're Tony…"

* * *

**Getting close to The Big Day now! So, last minute bets on the babies' genders? Let's hope you're better at betting than Clint ;)**

**Review please!**


	16. Midnight Madness

Steve finally got out of bed at two thirty. Tina had been tossing and turning all night, and he felt like he was constantly in her way. Besides, the soft noises she made as she fought to get sleep had been keeping him awake. Taking out a sketchpad and sitting in the loveseat, he began to draw absentmindedly. First, a valentine heart with an arrow through it came from his pencil. He grinned, thinking of Tina's due date, February 15th. _Who knows? Bruce keeps saying that twins come early…maybe they'll be Valentine babies!_ He looked up at the calendar. _November 15__th__. Exactly three months left_, he noted. Chuckling to himself, he sketched Clint perched in a nest, looking as though he had just shot the arrow. With a grin, he added cherubic wings to his friend. _Agent Cupid Barton_, he laughed internally. Tina grunted again, resituating herself. Steve looked up in sympathy. _Sleep deprivation is the worst. _Steve placed Natasha in the nest, rolling her eyes at Clint's behavior. With a mischievous grin, Steve drew devil horns and a tail on the female Avenger to contrast with her counterpart, also surrounding her with grinning spiders. Soon the whole team was there, Thor and the Hulk arm wrestling and Pepper judging the match, wearing referee gear. Bruce stood to the side, holding up a foam finger and cheering for the Other Guy excitedly. Tony stood at the base of the tree that held Clint's nest, blasting at the trunk with a repulsor. An English butler stood by Tony in a neat suit, Steve's physical representation of JARVIS. The soldier also decided that classy Pepper should be included in addition to peace-making Pepper, so he drew her in a cocktail dress, dancing with the Iron Man suit, which wore a top hat. Steve giggled to himself again, studying his doodle. Suddenly, he heard a gasp. Tina sat up, expression clouded with worry. Steve flew to the side of the bed.

"Ow," she mumbled.

"Are you okay? What happened?" he tucked her curls behind her ears.

Tina rubbed the side of her belly.

"I don't- I'm not…I'm not sure."

Her green eyes met Steve's blue ones.

"Okay…"

He climbed into bed beside her, placing a hand next to hers. "Don't hurt Mommy, Champ," he admonished, rubbing where she indicated. "Did one of them kick you really hard?"

Tina frowned.

"Maybe. I don't know. Maybe I rolled over weirdly. I've been really uncomfortable all day..."

Steve opened his mouth to reply, but he felt her belly tighten under his hand, growing hard. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.

"Oh!" she panted slightly as the tightness receded.

"Was that…was that a contraction?" Steve wondered aloud. "One of the Braxton-Hicks ones? They're supposed to happen sometimes, right?"

"Yeah, but…they're supposed to be painless," Tina said softly, "and that was _not_."

"Alright," Steve said, "do you want me to go get Bruce?"

"No, not yet. I'm…I don't know. Stay with me, okay?"

Fear saturated her tone and she grabbed onto his arm frantically.

"I'm not going anywhere, love," he said, rubbing her back in small circles.

"Maybe that was Braxton-Hicks," she decided tentatively after a few moments of silence. "Maybe it just kind of scared me because I wasn't expecting it."

At this point, Steve was reviewing all he had learned with Bruce and highly doubted this. These seemed like the real McCoy to him, but he wasn't about to say that aloud. He nodded, and she gasped again, her hand clenching on his forearm. For a few moments, her entire body tensed. A small mewl of pain escaped her. The contraction eased and she started to quake.

"Steve," she whimpered, her voice shaking with fear. Wetness began to slowly spread through the bed then, and Steve was sure that he had been right.

"Hm. Looks like we're getting Thanksgiving gifts instead of Valentines, huh?" he quipped in an effort to relax her.

"Steve, no," she started to cry in earnest, "it's too soon, it's too soon!"

Steve wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap and holding on tightly. He gathered himself, pushing away his own fear and uncertainty for the moment. Right now, she needed him to be the strong one. When he'd had night terrors, he was sure they had scared Tina, what with his yelling and running and crying, but she had been tough for him. now it was Steve's turn. After a moment, he let go of her, cupping her face and lifting her eyes to his.

"It's okay, Tina. Bruce said this might happen, remember? Remember how he told us that twins come early all the time?"

"Not this early!" she sobbed, "I did something wrong, they're too small, they won't-" she dissolved into tears once more, shaking in his arms.

"You didn't do anything wrong, honey. And they'll be just fine. Champ is almost seven pounds. And Doll is tough beyond her size. I know it. You do too; remember some of the crazy strong kicks we've felt from her? They are both going to be perfect. Besides, _Bruce_ is going to be taking care of them. He won't let anything bad happen." Tina stared up at him, drinking in his encouraging words like a child dying of thirst. "We've got no reason to think anything negative. I'm kind of excited, actually. Come on, it's like opening presents before Christmas!" Tina sniffled, burying her head in his chest. "You're ready, baby," he whispered in her ear. "I believe in you." Steve felt her whole body clench up. She held in her breath until the pain faded and then moaned quietly.

"I'm gonna get Bruce, Tina," Steve said after her muscles had loosened slightly.

"No! No, don't leave, please," she begged, her voice full of need. She was still tucked in his lap and holding onto him with a surprising amount of strength.

"Don't need to," Steve said proudly. "JARVIS, please tell Bruce that Tina's in labor. Her water broke, too."

"Yes sir. And I'd like to extend my preemptive congratulations to you both," the AI responded.

"Ahh, technology. Thanks J. We're pretty excited," Steve answered calmly, smoothing Tina's hair back.

Although fear and shock were mostly prevalent, Steve thought he also saw some happiness in her eyes.

"Every five minutes," Tina noted, looking at the clock.

"Wow. Comin in fast, huh?"

She nodded, still looking quite bewildered and more than a little frightened.

"Steve…"

"I'm right here," he reassured her, pressing her palm over his heartbeat, "I'm gonna be right here with you the whole time. Promise."

"I love you," she said, attempting a smile up at him. "And…I'm excited to meet our babies." Steve placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "But I'm…really scared. I don't know if I can do this."

"You can. I know you can. Hey, your body decided you and the kids were ready, didn't it? You've got this. You're ready. I love you, Tina."

The couple began hearing commotion in the hall and Tina couldn't help the weak giggle that escaped her. Steve chuckled too, until she began to stiffen up again.

"Breathe, Tina. Remember how Natasha practiced with you. Slow," he instructed, "With me." Steve demonstrated the proper technique, Tina following along with his example. Bruce, Pepper, and Natasha skidded into the room, pushing the wheelchair Tina had used when she hurt her leg.

"Well isn't this a fun surprise?" Bruce bounced on his heels in excitement.

"But, the-time-" Tina gasped out.

"It's fine, Tina. Very few women carry twins to term," he reassured her. "And none your size, for sure."

"Hospital room's all set up and waiting for you," Pepper said, ending the call on her phone.

"Ready?" Bruce asked as Steve carefully set Tina in the chair.

Tina squeezed her husband's hand, a new resolve forming within her.

"Yes. I am."

* * *

**Ahhhh! The big day is here! Disclaimer: I have never given birth nor gone into labor. I did my research, but don't hate if it's not perfect. **

**What if Tina's worries come true? Or is Steve's confidence well-founded? Who gets to be in the delivery room? Who do we meet first, Champ or Doll? How many questions is the author going to ask? ;)**

**We shall see! Review, dear people. **


	17. Meeting Champ

The section of the Tower referred to as the 'band-aid tent' by Tony had recently been converted to a much more advanced hospital wing in preparation for Tina and the babies. Bruce was having an animated yet hushed conversation with the team of obstetricians and pediatricians gathered in the room while Pepper and Natasha helped to get Tina comfortable.

"All good?" Steve asked his wife as Natasha straightened an already-straight pillow compulsively.

"Yup," she replied, smiling briefly in an attempt at nonchalance.

As a contraction began, Tina squeezed Steve's hand and Pepper and Natasha edged towards the door.

"Nat-wait," Tina panted out, "stay."

"She was planning on asking if you'd be here when the babies are born," Steve elaborated.

Natasha smiled a little, feeling touched that she was going to be included in this special time.

"Deep breaths, Tina," she said, immediately assuming the role of coach.

Steve jumped into the part of cheerleader.

"That's great," he encouraged, "just like that."

Bruce smiled at them. Although he was still a bit concerned, the team of MDs was sure that Steve's super DNA would at the very least help to counter any side effects that the babies' premature birth might have had. He was sure that Champ would be fine, but Doll…he worried.

"Good news," he addressed the couple, "Champ will come first. That gets the hard part over with first for you, Tina."

She nodded, keeping focused on her vice-like grips on both Steve and Natasha. Bruce rubbed his hands together in anticipation. He was incredibly excited to be an uncle and couldn't wait to meet the newest members of the Tower.

"Here we go!"

…

Thor alternated between pacing back and forth restlessly to sitting as motionlessly as a statue. The Lady Pepper and the Healer Bruce had informed him many times that childbirth was not that dangerous anymore. They'd told him about all the many procedures and back-up plans in existence- just in case. But he was not comforted. In his homeland, although the healers there used magic, women occasionally still died in the effort. Hearing Tina's yelps of pain did not help him calm himself either. The prince glowered at the floor from the much-too-small hospital chair which quaked under him.

"How much longer?" Tony asked for about the thousandth time.

"Tony, for the last time, we don't know. It's her first baby, it takes a while," Clint answered pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Silence reigned a while longer, only broken by the click of Pepper's heels and occasional snatches of conversation as she talked with Tina's parents on the phone. Tina screamed out again, and Thor leapt from his seat to resume pacing. He tightened his grip on Mjolnir, taking comfort in its familiar weight.

"I want a play-by-play," Tony grumbled, "waiting sucks."

"You don't actually want a play-by-play," Clint assured him. "You ever see a baby be born? It's not pretty."

"How would you know?"

"Circus, dude. Circus," Clint answered, shaking his head. "I've seen some crazy stuff."

Step, step, step, turn. Step, step, step, turn. Thor almost wished for a battle, or at least a sparring match to burn off some of his excess energy.

"The grandparents-to-be are very excited," Pepper announced as she took a seat beside Tony. "And Thor, Jane said she was coming around noon, so soon, okay?"

The thunder god nodded in response; quite sure that even Jane wouldn't be able to make him feel completely at ease. He would feel better when both babes were born and Tina was taken care of. He thought of her as a sweet little sister, part of his Midgardian family. Although Natasha had come out a few times to say that everything was going perfectly, even easily for someone having their first baby, he worried for her health. Suddenly, he heard raised voices from the room and then silence. He stopped pacing, staring at the door with worry pounding through his veins. Then, the quiet was broken by the lusty wail of a baby. A cheer sounded through the whole hall of people waiting. Thor laughed and dropped his hammer (which crunched through the thin plastic seat of a chair) to grab the Archer in a huge hug. Natasha poked her head out of the room, grinning from ear to ear.

"It's a girl," she giggled uncharacteristically, "all this time, Champ has been a little girl. She's so perfect and beautiful." The assassin-turned-aunt smiled again and shut the door.

Thor began to relax, chuckling as he imagined the look on Steve's face when he found out that "Champ" was a little lady.

…

Bruce handed the angrily protesting infant to Steve, who accepted her gingerly. Instinctively, he pulled her in close to his chest, cradling her in his arms and rocking her gently. He couldn't stop staring at her little face. Sticky curls were matted to her head, and although her skin was still a raw red, he could see that her lips and button nose were shaped exactly like her mother's.

"Hi, baby," he whispered. "I'm your daddy."

She stopped fussing, waving her little fists in the air instead. "Sorry for calling you Champ all that time," Steve apologized with a half a giggle.

She opened her eyes, giving him an indignant look, as if she was still offended by her boyish nickname. Steve gasped as he saw her eyes. They were a surprising shade of aqua, just like the water of the tropical island he'd gone on his honeymoon to. Blue and green meshed together to form the most beautiful teal he'd ever seen. Steve's heart felt almost achey. He had no idea he could possibly love something as much as he loved his daughter.

"Tina," he murmured, holding the baby up against her chest, "look how beautiful our daughter is."

His wife laughed wetly, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"Look at those peepers," she sighed in wonder. "I love you, little girl." Tina brushed her fingers against her daughter's soft cheek.

Tina pulled back her hand and groaned again, shaking Steve out of his reverie. _How could I forget? There's another baby!_ He pulled his daughter back, holding her close to his heart. The child rested her hand against the skin where his shirt was unbuttoned. A kind-faced nurse smiled at him and reached for her. Steve's clutch on the baby tightened momentarily. He gazed back down at his little girl, trying to suppress the totally irrational fear of letting her out of his sight. She'd fallen asleep, tiny hand gripping his finger with a surprising strength.

"She's beautiful," the nurse smiled, gazing at the infant.

Steve nodded in agreement.

"Let's get her cleaned up and snuggled in a blanket," the nurse suggested, holding her arms out once more. The soldier reluctantly gave his baby to the nurse, who cooed softly at the sleeping child as she left the room. He resumed his place at Tina's side, full to the brim with joy.

"Remember the name we discussed?" he murmured in her ear.

She nodded, concentrating on her breathing. "It works. She's gorgeous but also incredibly strong. You should've felt her little grip."

"Our moms- will be- so happy," Tina agreed in between pants.

Natasha reentered the room.

"About what?" she asked, giving Tina a look that clearly wondered whether or not exhaustion was making her hallucinate. "Steve's mom isn't…exactly…"

He laughed.

"She'll be proud from heaven. We're going honor them both and use their middle name."

"They have the same middle name?"

Tina nodded, smiling through her effort.

"And- add something- new- too."

The kindly nurse brought a little pink bundle back to Steve who gladly accepted it. He kissed her forehead and cuddled her close.

"Rose Charlotte Rogers, Daddy missed you."

* * *

**I adore Daddy Steve...and overprotective Thor. And everyone... ****How excited/worried/thrilled are you all to meet Doll?**

**Soooo it's getting to that point in the story where I've gotta ask my usual question: what do you all want to see from me next? **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	18. Just Like Daddy

Tina couldn't remember feeling more completely fatigued. The combination of pain and sheer exhaustion was overwhelming, but somehow, she was totally overjoyed. _Rose_, she thought, _my little girl. _Thinking of her daughter gave Tina renewed energy. _I can't wait to meet Doll. _She could see the wrapped pink bundle in one of the nurse's arms. _That's _my_ baby. My daughter. Rose Charlotte. _She concentrated on her daughter as she continued in her labor. _Rose. Rose._ She repeated the name like a mantra, drawing strength from it.

…

Bruce only looked over the medical reports from Rose briefly, but what he saw, he loved. She was the picture of health, more perfect than many single babies carried to term. It gave him immense hope that despite Doll's small size she would be alright. And, by the looks of things, Doll would be making an appearance soon.

…

Steve was impressed with the fantastic amount of strength that his little wife was demonstrating. Particularly, the amount of force she was using to squeeze his hand. He couldn't quite put a value on it, but he was fairly sure that a normal human would have several broken fingers. As it was, his hand hurt, which in itself was quite impressive. Steve tried to continue cheering her on as he had before, but he couldn't help sneaking glances over at Rose. _Come on, Doll,_ he thought impatiently, _hurry it up. Come join your sister. Mommy's getting tired. _

"Tina, get ready," Bruce said, suddenly.

Steve grinned ear to ear, excitedly expecting the newest member of his family. Tina nodded briefly and groaned in pain. Her grip tightened, fresh nail marks appearing on Steve's skin. She panted for air, and Steve grimaced in sympathy. He hated her pain like nothing else in the world. The only reason he could forgive this pain was because of his children- anything else would be loathed without question. Tina screamed, and Bruce reached forward.

Steve caught sight of his son for the first time. He almost wanted to laugh at first, _We had em switched up. Champ's a girl and Doll's a boy. _

Then he looked closer. His boy was tiny, fitting in Bruce's two palms. His limbs were thin. The baby did not scream like Rose had, remaining still. Bruce firmly patted him on the back, and he sucked in a breath. Rather than crying, however, the baby breathed in startled pants. Bruce immediately turned and was enveloped by a crowd of pediatricians, all speaking loudly and buzzing around with activity. Steve was frozen. _Wait! That's my son! Bring him back here!_ The lead obstetrician frowned then and Steve noticed blood- everywhere.

"Is that okay?" he asked in panic.

The doctor sighed, looking more mildly annoyed than worried.

"Happens sometimes, she ripped a little. It'll be just fine. I'm going to give her something for pain before I fix it…she's going to be sleepy."

"Steve," Tina pulled weakly on his arm, "let me see Doll."

Steve's face was a twisted mask of panic, but Tina was too exhausted to notice. He bent down and kissed her temple.

"It's a little boy," he murmured, evading her request. "Thank you, love."

A tear slipped from Tina's eye.

"We had them backwards," she laughed breathlessly.

Steve tried to smile, but couldn't. He heard shouting from the other room- Bruce's voice along with many others.

"Yeah. We did."

"James Steven," Tina sighed.

Worry ate away at him. Tina's eyelids drooped and Steve left her for the first time, searching for Bruce. He figured that Tina would be fine with Natasha, although he still felt guilty for not staying by her side the whole time.

"Bruce?"

The doctor had his back to him, shoulders shaking slightly. The other pediatricians sat morosely around the room, shoulders slumped and expressions cheerless.

"Bruce?" Steve's voice cracked and his heart pounded.

Bruce turned, holding the little baby, who kicked weakly. Tears streamed down the scientist's face as he stared into James' face. He handed Steve his son.

"He's just like you," Bruce murmured, pointing to the baby's features.

It was undeniable; James had his father's face in miniature, the same chin, the same lips, the same nose.

"Is he- what happened- what-" Steve choked on words, overwhelmed yet again by waves of love and fear for this small person.

"He's- well. He-" Bruce coughed in an effort to not sob, "he's too small. His lungs are small, his immune system isn't fully functional, although his brain appears to be perfectly normal. But the-the bigger problem is…" Bruce pushed his glasses, slippery from tears, up his nose. "His heart…it's too small. It's not pumping enough blood. The other things would be okay, but he needs a transplant…and there isn't one."

The words thundered in Steve's ears. His heartbeat sounded a million times too loud and he felt cold from shock. Each breath sounded like a foghorn in his ear. Bruce's words pointed in a direction that he refused to go in. _Not my son. No, no, no, no, no. My baby _will _be okay. James is going to be fine. _

"Is he hurting?"

Steve listened to his own voice, but it felt like a stranger speaking. He felt distant, concentrating only on the face of his son, refusing to look away for even a second.

"No, he feels no pain at all," Bruce answered, "he just feels tired. It's the best possible way, it'll feel like falling asleep."

The Captain's head snapped up and his eyes burned like lasers.

"What will feel like falling asleep?" he asked, his voice terrifyingly quiet.

Bruce shook his head sadly. "What, Bruce?" Steve growled, "What are you saying?"

The doctor's face crumpled and fresh tears streamed down his cheeks. He rested his hand on Steve's shoulder.

"He's probably got another ten minutes…fifteen if he fights."

He left the room, followed by the other doctors. Steve was left alone with his son. He began to hyperventilate. _Not my little boy. Not my son. Please no._ His vision felt like it was blurring, and he was having trouble breathing. Steve cradled his baby close, painfully aware of each second's passing, of the small weight and tiny shape of his little boy. James opened his eyes and Steve gasped. They were exactly his eyes, the same shape, the same shade of sky-blue. _"He's just like you," Bruce had said. Just like me. Too small, too weak. All my old health problems. _Steve let out a sob.

"I'm sorry," he choked out, "I'm sorry James…this is my fault," he cried. _You're just like pre-serum me…If only I could fix you like Dr. Erskine saved me. If only you had-_

Steve froze and his eyes opened wide. _If James has my DNA…and my DNA has the serum…_

It was crazy. It was absolutely nuts. If it didn't work, it would kill James sooner. It was Steve's only chance to save his baby.

Like a bullet launched from a gun Steve went from a state of statuesque stillness to blinding speed almost instantly. Through the room, kicking the door open, down the hallway like a flash before anyone even realized what was happening. He jumped down the center of the stairway, knowing that the elevator would be much too slow. He absorbed the landing with his powerful legs: James probably wasn't even jostled. He sprinted through the Tower, searching for the very bottom basement.

"JARVIS," he gasped, "open it!"

The door opened with a pneumatic hiss and Steve ran inside. The Vita-Ray machine stood before him. The room looked almost exactly the way it had; Tony had copied it precisely. Steve was overwhelmed with a sense of déjà vu. "JARVIS, open the machine…lay it flat." The Vita-Ray machine obediently lowered and the doors opened. Steve glanced at his son, whose incredibly tiny hand had taken hold of Steve's finger. The baby's hand was so small that his fingers didn't even wrap all the way around Steve's thumb. He kissed his son softly. "I love you James. I love you so much." Tears began to fall, thick and fast. He set the baby in the machine tenderly. "Leave it flat J," he commanded, voice shaking. Steve fell to his knees as the door shut. His chest heaved for breath.

"Shall I start it, sir?" JARVIS asked.

Steve sobbed collapsing into a ball on the floor.

"Yes," he choked out.

Light began to pour from the machine and the soldier wept. _Please. Please._

…

"Holy-" Clint yelled as a white blur shot down the hallway.

Tony stood up.

"Was that…?" he looked at the archer in worry. "JARVIS…was that Steve?"

"Yes, sir. It was."

Without a moment's hesitation, the two men ran after him.

"Where's he going?" Clint panted.

"Down," JARVIS replied. "It appears he's attempting to reach the basement."

Tony and Clint almost slid sideways they turned into the elevator so fast. Without being told, the elevator plunged down in pursuit of the Captain.

"What happened?" Tony asked his AI.

"Doctor Banner had a brief, emotional discussion with Captain Rogers, which after a moment, led to said Captain dashing towards the basement."

Clint ground his teeth in frustration.

"JARVIS, for the love of god, what did he say?"

"He mentioned the baby's condition. The child's heart is too small to function on its own and therefore he would require a transplant. Doctor Banner informed the Captain of a time limit…ten to fifteen minutes, I believe."

Tony and Clint looked at each other in horror. _Time limit? Did that mean…?_ The doors dinged open and they raced out, following JARVIS's directions. Tony saw an open door in the left wing and his eyes widened. _Is he trying to-oh god oh god._

"Steve!" he ran inside, gasping for air.

The soldier was on the floor, shaking with sobs. Clint ran to his side, but Tony stared up at the Vita-Ray. Light poured from the it, and JARVIS's countdown showed that the machine was almost done. Finally, the lights in the room flickered. The Vita-Ray's light died as the room's lights returned. The doors opened with a hiss and all three men held their breath.

The choking silence was broken by the lusty wail of a rather annoyed sounding baby.

Steve flew to his feet and scooped up his son from the machine. The baby was much bigger, and chubby like his sister, although his features remained the same. He gave his father a reproachful glare, as if to say 'how dare you stop cuddling me'. The soldier sobbed unashamedly.

"James," he cried, "I'm sorry. I love you too much, lil fella. I couldn't let you go." His knees shook, but his arms held strong, keeping his son close and rocking him slightly. James quieted some, studying his father with bright blue eyes. Steve noticed a tuft of blonde hair on the baby's head, which stuck directly up. James was bigger than Rose, significantly heavier but just as sweet. Clint walked behind Steve, peeking over his shoulder.

"Awwww," he cooed involuntarily. Steve grinned, looking up at his friend. Clint coughed surreptitiously. "I mean. Um. Well this is good news-"

Steve laughed and Tony examined James as well.

"What a cutie," Tony said, letting the baby hold onto his finger.

"Guys, this James Steven. My son."

* * *

***phew* well that was pretty intense! Next chapter we get to see everyone's reactions to them :)**

**Review please! And also keep thinking on what you'd like to see me write next...**


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